Although a brutal gang rape in Delhi last December grabbed national headlines and caused a public outcry, sex trafficking in India has not provoked the same degree of outrage. It is hard to know how many women and girls are trafficked in India, but the United States State Department, the United Nations and India's Human Rights Commission have all identified India as a major hub in the international sex trade, a global phenomenon that may involve upwards of 27 million people.
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In March, in the wake of the rape, India's Parliament passed a bill amending laws concerning sexual violence and making sex trafficking a criminal offense. But the gap between enactment and enforcement remains unacceptably wide.
Parliament acted in response to the recommendations of a judicial committee led by the late Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma. In addition to urging tougher laws protecting women and children from abuse, the Verma Report recommended stiffer penalties for sex-related crimes as well as swifter justice for the perpetrators.
India's own sex trade is booming. The New York Times recently reported on widespread human trafficking of young girls in the state of Jharkhand and on the trafficking of impoverished girls into India from neighboring Nepal. Girls are also exported from India and other South Asian countries to the Gulf and Southeast Asia.
Persistent poverty is a major factor. Many vulnerable women and girls are lured by promises of employment, and some parents are desperate enough to sell their daughters to traffickers. Rapid urbanization and the migration of large numbers of men into India's growing cities creates a market for commercial sex, as does a gender imbalance resulting from sex-selective abortion practices that has created a generation of young men who have little hope of finding female partners. India's affluence is also a factor, luring European women into India's sex trade. The caste system compounds the problem. Victims of sex trafficking disproportionately come from disadvantaged segments of Indian society.
Amending India's laws is a good step, but a law is only as good as its enforcement. Trafficking is profitable and corruption is widespread. It is all too easy for traffickers to buy off police and other law-enforcement agents. The police must face strong disciplinary consequences for turning a blind eye, and those who commit sex crimes must know that they risk speedy prosecution and stiff sentences.
Meanwhile, India's government should address historic patterns of discrimination and focus increased resources on educating disadvantaged girls. Until attitudes in India toward women change and poor children gain the skills they need to take control of their futures, sex trafficking and the damage it inflicts will continue.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/opinion/sex-trafficking-in-india.html?_r=0
The problems is getting worse every minute. I don't know if anyone will ever understand the value of a woman. Women are meant to be respected in the Hindu religion.. nothing is done without a woman and now people think they can use and abuse young girls because they are vulnerable. I am disgusted by the Indian Government and infact all governments in the world for letting such heinous crimes happen and not do anything about it. I agree with the last line in the article that until the attitudes change nothing is going to happen. Educate people. Women are people just like you they are there to be respected not used and abused.
As a woman who was born and raised in Bombay, I will testify that Bombay culture is substantially better. Yes, sexual harassment and eve teasing does exist in Bombay. Yes, rape can occur anywhere and anywhere. Rape culture is prevalent and permeated in all societies.
However, Bombay has always been one of the most progressive cities in India. I have female friends and relatives who work late nights or overnight shifts. In fact even back in the 70's when working women itself was a novelty in India, my aunt and her friends were working rotating shifts as housekeepers in Holiday Inn, sometimes coming home at 3 AM, sometimes heading out at 5 AM. It is not uncommon to see women on the streets of Bombay late night or at the crack of dawn. It is not unusual to see women in pubs, bars, clubs or groups of guys and gals hanging out. Women drinking is not a taboo. It is not rare to see women in short skirts or tank tops. Bombay's culture has always tried to give women freedom and maintain a progressive society. I won't say s**t shaming or victim blaming doesn't exist in Bombay, but culturally it is a city on the woman's side.
Women in the capitol region don't work late or overnight shifts as freely. There is a cultural push that women shouldn't be out late. After dark seeing women around is a rare sight. Take a taxi around Bombay at 9 PM and you will see a good proportion of women everywhere. Do the same in Delhi it is as if the female population has disappeared. There are very few niche youth hang outs where you have women clubbing or coed hangouts. A lot of time it is Delhi boys doing their own thing riding bikes and cars at night, while girls hang out in their own safe groups. Most women in Delhi are traditionally dressed. Although this I will give to the fact that North India does have a heavier Hindustani flavor. However, on the whole Delhi culture comes off as very conservative and not female friendly.
I recently visited India this winter. When I was out in Bombay on my own during the day, my family didn't fret. When I was out late as well no one minded, my uncle just said to call him for a ride whenever. When I was out in the North during the broad daylight, I was told be careful the men here are very leery.
As a female being in Bombay makes me feel liberated, that I'm indeed a human being. Being in Delhi makes me feel restricted, that my feminity is an asset to be locked in some safe deposit box lest it be violated.
I also think sex trafficking and rape are two very different social issues related to women and are not necessarily correlated.