Gender and Invisible Migration: Understanding Sex Trafficking in India

Abstract

Home Gender, Identity and Migration in India Chapter Gender and Invisible Migration: Understanding Sex Trafficking in India Skylab Sahu Chapter First Online: 10 February 2022 159 Accesses Abstract Millions of people around the world are migrating from their village to other towns or to cities within their own country or across countries. Migration could be voluntary in nature where the individual or family takes a decision independently for a better life after migration. Similarly, migration also could be forced due to nature-led disasters such as drought, flood and famine. The phenomenon is explained in terms of push and pull factors and its implications are viewed both positively as well as negatively by scholars. Jagdish Bhagwati has recently explained that there is possibility of a win-win situation for both the destination as well as the source countries of the migrants. However, the migration may not be at all a win-win situation especially when the labour or migrant herself or himself is trafficked and forced to do some kind of work which she never desired to do. Therefore the trafficked migration could have a most sordid face as well. Sexual exploitation is the most commonly identified form of human trafficking—about 80% of all trafficking cases (UNODC database). West Bengal shares international boundaries with three neighbouring countries, such as Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, through which continuous migration of population has been taking place. It has been both the receiving and source state for women trafficking. The study explores the issue of invisible migration and sexual trafficking and makes a critical analysis of the empirical cases to understand the implementation of the laws and policies in addressing sex trafficking in the state of West Bengal. The paper is based on the primary data of qualitative analysis of 15 girls from Kolkata, who were trafficked and pushed to prostitution. The paper, while using case study of the five girls, three from Bangladesh and two from Nepal, analyses how girls were trafficked for sex trade and thereby faced severe socio-economic and health implications. The paper critically analyses role of the state towards addressing cross-border and within state sex trafficking.