The trafficking of minors for sexual slavery is not a phenomenon unique to Nepal and India; rather, it is a multi-billion-dollar global industry. According to the International Labour Organization, over one million children were commercially sexually exploited in 2016. However, it is difficult to fully gauge the scale of a criminal enterprise like child sex trafficking, and the actual figures are likely higher. Children from impoverished, rural regions of West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Nepal are most at risk.
When Sold was written in 2003, nearly twelve thousand girls from Nepal were sold into the Indian sex trade. Some girls were sold by family members intentionally or were deceived by enticing offers of employment or marriage. According to interviews with Indian sex slavery survivors, alcoholism, physical and sexual abuse, and containment are common control tactics used by brothel owners involved in child sex trafficking. Additionally, survivors reported that members of the police force frequented brothels.
Presently in India, sex work is legal, though pimping, brothel ownership, and child sex work are illegal. Sex traffickers often evade prosecution by paying off police, intimidating witnesses, and exploiting legal loopholes.
