Structural Vulnerabilities, Personal Agency, and Caste: An Exploration of Child Sex Trafficking in Rural India

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-330
Author(s):  
Rochelle L. Dalla ◽  
Trupti Jhaveri Panchal ◽  
Sarah Erwin ◽  
Jessie Peter ◽  
Kaitlin Roselius ◽  
...  

The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is considered normative and expected among some Indian castes. Focusing on the Bedia specifically, we sought to identify factors responsible for the intergenerational continuation of CSEC as well as opportunities for prevention. To this end, three questions were posed, including: (a) What structural factors perpetuate CSEC among the Bedia? (b) What are the mechanisms by which Bedia children enter the commercial sex industry (CSI)? and (c) To what extent do Bedia women have personal agency in exiting the CSI and in keeping their children from entering? Guided by structural vulnerability theory and a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 31 Bedia women engaged in (or exited from) the CSI. Results indicate that girls as young as 12 are “selected” to enter the CSI; once involved, they carry the burden of familial financial sustainability and exit only comes when they are no longer able to attract paying clients and younger female kin able to assume the primary breadwinner role. Ability to keep female children from entry is minimal. Implications for future research, practice, and policy are discussed.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (23-24) ◽  
pp. 5607-5623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn Bounds ◽  
Kathleen R. Delaney ◽  
Wrenetha Julion ◽  
Susan Breitenstein

It is estimated that annually 100,000 to 300,000 youth are at risk for sex trafficking; a commercial sex act induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or any such act where the person induced to perform such an act is younger than 18 years of age. Increasingly, such transactions are occurring online via Internet-based sites that serve the commercial sex industry. Commercial sex transactions involving trafficking are illegal; thus, Internet discussions between those involved must be veiled. Even so, transactions around sex trafficking do occur. Within these transactions are innuendos that provide one avenue for detecting potential activity. The purpose of this study is to identify linguistic indicators of potential commercial sexual exploitation within the online comments of men posted on an Internet site. Six hundred sixty-six posts from five Midwest cities and 363 unique members were analyzed via content analysis. Three main indicators were found: the presence of youth or desire for youthfulness, presence of pimps, and awareness of vulnerability. These findings begin a much-needed dialogue on uncovering online risks of commercial sexual exploitation and support the need for further research on Internet indicators of sex trafficking.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 880
Author(s):  
Fery AM Mendrofa ◽  
Umi Hani ◽  
Yuni Nurhidayat

A pandemic of a novel coronavirus-infected disease is currently ongoing in the world. Most patients have to be isolated due to the treatments. This study aimed to make sense of how patients with coronavirus-infected disease understand and experience infectious isolation. The research used a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach. Data collection was conducted with in-depth interviews of nine patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) confirmed who had been in the isolation room. The analysis was conducted on interview transcripts by organizing keywords found into categories, sub-themes, and themes based on Colaizzi's approach. The results indicated that the participants experienced fright due to the isolation and attempted to integrate their isolation experiences. Isolation highlighted a sense of threat posed by cross-infection, a threat that participants experienced as originating from others and from themselves to others. Participants described feeling changes experienced after several days of treatment. Participants reported various symptoms of the disease and received careful care while in isolation. They still communicate with family. Isolated patients are able to deal with the treatment by improving their coping strategies. Participants reported the most support from their families, even from a distance. Future research could explore experiences of isolation from family and staff perspectives and identify the psychological aspect in caring for the COVID-19 patients.


Author(s):  
Niklas Jakobsson ◽  
Andreas Kotsadam

This article analyzes the economics of international human trafficking of women for commercial sexual exploitation. It begins with a review of the economics literature on sex trafficking, with particular emphasis on factors that determines which type of country people are trafficked to and where people are trafficked from. It then describes the datasets that have been and can be used in studying trafficking. It also considers some economics papers that work toward integrating the analysis of trafficking to include both sending and receiving countries. It suggests that the economic literature on human smuggling is particularly promising and should be incorporated by economists studying trafficking. The article concludes by highlighting gaps in the economics trafficking literature and outlining possible areas of future research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 481-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Greenbaum

Human trafficking and child sex trafficking and sexual exploitation in particular are global public health issues with widespread, lasting impacts on children, families, and communities. Traditionally, human trafficking has been treated as a law enforcement problem with an emphasis on the arrest and prosecution of traffickers. However, use of a public health approach focuses efforts on those impacted by exploitation: trafficked persons, their families, and the population at large. It promotes strategies to build a solid scientific evidence base that allows development, implementation, and evaluation of prevention and intervention efforts, informs policy and program development, and guides international efforts at eradication. This article uses the public health approach to address human trafficking, with a focus on child sex trafficking and exploitation. Recommendations are made for public health professionals to contribute to antitrafficking efforts globally.


2014 ◽  
Vol 653 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandré Gould

This article examines the complex arrangements within which women working in prostitution in South Africa find themselves, and documents their resilience in a hazardous work environment. Findings are drawn from a survey and in-depth interviews with sex workers in Cape Town that investigated the nature and extent of human trafficking in the sex industry, and from a separate survey of sex workers during the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. The findings provide the basis for a critique of Western rescue missions and the larger antitrafficking movement.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 160940691985755
Author(s):  
Anja Visser ◽  
Petro du Preez ◽  
Shan Simmonds

At present, there is a dearth of primary data on the experiences of the child survivors of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Qualitative research methodologies are needed to help researchers and practitioners from a variety of disciplines to understand the complex issues associated with child sex trafficking (CST), to gain greater insight into the nature of this problem, and to devise strategies to combat this form of trafficking. In this article, we report on our use of a synthesized methodology, life design narrative inquiry (LDNI), as a way to generate primary data on the experiences of the survivors. This methodology enables researchers to do research with CST survivors to gain a deeper insight into the nature of trafficking to devise strategies in different disciplines to combat this form of trafficking. Reflections on employing LDNI with child trafficking survivors revealed that this methodology is context sensitive, takes on an individualistic perspective, and leads to rich descriptions of CST survivors’ experiences. Reflections on ethical challenges revealed that gaining access to CST survivors is a complex process, protecting both the participants and the researchers against harm is challenging and that keeping confidentiality of participants is extremely important.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document