Intergenerational Prostitution in India: How a Cultural Practice Constitutes Sex Trafficking

Challenging the perceptions around human trafficking is critical to understanding the full complexity of this increasing form of persecution. Even those well-informed on the topic may have a very vague idea of what constitutes sex trafficking. Countries may have different legislation, and even where there are internationally accepted standards, media portrayals often cloud perceptions of trafficking. Because of this limited view, practices that are indeed forms of sex trafficking often go unnoticed. One such example is the practice of intergenerational prostitution found among certain caste communities across India. This particular instance of sex trafficking is even further complicated by the fact that it is often justified by calling it a cultural tradition. And while the morality of differing cultural traditions is a difficult issue to navigate, development workers and governments cannot deny rights and services to those being exploited. Thus, there is a critical need to recognize and accept such practices for what they are. By using both Indian legislation and international protocols, one can easily see that the women and girls trapped in intergenerational prostitution in India are indeed victims of sex trafficking.