Trafficking of women forced into prostitution in India: problems in rehabilitation and reintegration

Battala Madhusudana, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Trafficking in women and girls has been acknowledged as a global problem in recent years. Reportedly, millions of women have been trafficked across borders and within countries around the world. Estimate indicates that more than 2 million women of Indian, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi origin are engaged in the commercial sex trade in India. Of these, at least 500,000 are under the age of 18 years. It is estimated that 200,000 Nepalese women and girls are trafficked to work as prostitutes worldwide and approximately 12,000 are trafficked to India each year. Government of India lists Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh as the high-supply zones of women in prostitution. This paper also explores the prospects and problems in rehabilitating the trafficked women. The reintegration and repatriation of the trafficked women is becoming complex in the community. This paper highlights the existing discrimination associated in reintegrating the trafficked women in the community.