The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is considered normative and expected among some Indian castes. Focusing on the Bedia specifically, we sought to identify factors responsible for the intergenerational continuation of CSEC as well as opportunities for prevention. To this end, three questions were posed, including: (a) What structural factors perpetuate CSEC among the Bedia? (b) What are the mechanisms by which Bedia children enter the commercial sex industry (CSI)? and (c) To what extent do Bedia women have personal agency in exiting the CSI and in keeping their children from entering? Guided by structural vulnerability theory and a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 31 Bedia women engaged in (or exited from) the CSI. Results indicate that girls as young as 12 are “selected” to enter the CSI; once involved, they carry the burden of familial financial sustainability and exit only comes when they are no longer able to attract paying clients and younger female kin able to assume the primary breadwinner role. Ability to keep female children from entry is minimal. Implications for future research, practice, and policy are discussed.

中文翻译：

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结构性漏洞，个人代理和种姓：印度农村地区儿童性贩运问题的探讨。

商业上对儿童的性剥削（CSEC）被认为是规范性的，并且在一些印度种姓中是可预期的。我们特别关注贝迪亚，我们试图找出导致CSEC代际延续的因素以及预防机会。为此，提出了三个问题，其中包括：（a）贝迪亚中使CSEC永存的结构因素是什么？（b）贝迪亚儿童进入商业性色情行业的机制是什么？（c）Bedia妇女在离开CSI并阻止其子女进入时在何种程度上具有个人代理权？在结构脆弱性理论和现象学方法的指导下，对31名参与CSI（或退出CSI）的Bedia妇女进行了深入访谈。结果表明，“选拔”了12岁的女孩进入CSI；一旦参与其中，她们就承担着家族财务可持续性的重担，只有在她们不再能够吸引付费客户和年轻的女性亲戚来担当主要养家糊口的角色时，他们才会退出。阻止女童进入的能力很小。讨论了对未来研究，实践和政策的影响。