Family Sex Trafficking Among the Bedia Caste of India: Defying the Dominant Human Trafficking Discourse

Abstract

Largely characterized as an urban issue, empirical studies of minor sex trafficking in rural communities—including India, a global hotspot for child sex trafficking—are exceptionally uncommon. Yet, the commercial sexual exploitation of children thrives in many rural Indian villages, fueled by caste discrimination, family tradition, and poverty. In response, this study aimed to investigate minor sex trafficking among a particular culturally unique and geographically isolated population, in relation to the dominant human trafficking literature. In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 female members of the Bedia caste—a unique population whose primary form of income is derived from participation in the rural sex trade. Framed by the social theory of intersectionality, we sought to (1) identify vulnerabilities for commercial sex industry entry among Bedia youth and (2) examine the cultural context of the commercial sex industry among the Bedia, with particular attention to the dominant victim/perpetrator paradigms. Implications for continued research, practice, and policy are included.

Risk and Protective Factors for Sexual Exploitation in Male and Female Youth From a Cross-Cultural Perspective: A Systematic Review

“…A substantial body of research has linked sexual exploitation to economic vulnerabilities, such as poverty, low parental education, debts, financial insecurity, material need, and lack of economic opportunities (n = 17). Notable is that most studies involved non-Western countries, such as India, Mexico, Uganda, Nigeria, and Rwanda (Acharya & Bryson Clark, 2021;Dalla et al, 2020Dalla et al, , 2022Goldenberg et al, 2015;Kiss et al, 2022;Macias-Konstantopoulos et al, 2013;Njoku et al, 2022;Rocha-Jimenez et al, 2018;Silverman et al, 2007;Williams et al, 2012Williams et al, , 2018. In these countries, economic vulnerabilities were more often characterized as environmental factors such as a lack of educational or labor opportunities in the environment and a lack of resources due to migration or living in refugee camps.…”

“…Other negative experiences at the societal level concerned gender, social, and cultural inequalities (n = 5); normalization of sex trade in the environment (n = 3); a failing legal system (n = 2); and terrorism (n = 1) and were mainly found in non-Western countries such as India, Brazil, and Nigeria (Dalla et al, 2020(Dalla et al, , 2022Digidiki & Bhabha, 2018;Jani & Felke, 2017;Macias Konstantopoulos et al, 2013;Njoku et al, 2022;Silverman et al, 2007;Williams et al, 2012). These studies predominantly involved females and no gender comparisons were made.…”

“…In addition, much of what is currently known about risk and protective factors for sexual exploitation is based on studies conducted in the United States. Such a monocultural perspective can be problematic when applied to the context of non-Western cultures (Gopalkrishnan, 2018; Dalla et al, 2022). Finally, the stereotypical victim of sexual exploitation tends to be female, but victims also include male youth (Choi, 2015).…”

Vulnerability to Sex Trafficking: Adult Women’s Experiences While They Were Adolescents

“…The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a socially accepted form of prostitution by numerous Indian castes. Girls as young as 12 are selected to enter the sex industry to generate family income [32][33][34]. By making their own lives worse, Bedia girls engaged in prostitution improve the lives of their siblings and parents [32].…”

“…Many cases have been reported where Bedia girls have been rescued from a sex trafficking situation, handed over to their parents, and compelled again to go into sex work [35]. While some studies on vulnerabilities to sex trafficking among Bedia youth concluded that birth order did not predict commercial sex industry entry among female siblings [33], other studies concluded that the eldest daughter was often the one selected to enter the commercial sex trade. Rana et al [34] concluded that "The queerness of the Bedia community is that they themselves train their girls to be prostitutes.…”