Can Legislation Alone Protect Devadasi Girls from Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation?

ABSTRACT

Girls in India continue to be sexually abused/exploited under the veil of traditional practices such as Devadasi dedication despite the existence of legislation meant to protect them from child sexual abuse. This study recounts the experiences of 30 Devadasi girls who were dedicated, initiated into sexual activity, and involved in commercial sexual activity as children. It underscores the need to address this practice as a criminal offense to be prosecuted under the legislation. Efforts must be made to explicitly connect Devadasi dedication and child sexual abuse in the minds of the public, law enforcement agencies and government officials.

KEYWORDS:

• Child sexual abuse
• devadasi system
• POCSO Act
• sexual exploitation

Acknowledgments

The author expresses heartfelt gratitude to all the Devadasi girls and young women for sharing their experience with the research team, their hope that one day this form of exploitation would end if they speak up has been a source of encouragement to publish this article. Gratitude is due to SNEHA, a local community-based non-profit in Karnataka, India that assisted with gaining access to the Devadasi community. We World Onlus for entrusting the Centre with this research study and providing an opportunity to bring the voices of Devadasi girls to the front. The Centre for Child and the Law and the staff for providing the support and encouragement to take on this additional responsibility.

Disclosure of interest

The center had received a grant to conduct this research study from We World Onlus, an international non-profit based in Italy. However, all the findings of the study have been made public for action to be taken by relevant stakeholders. The author has no conflicts to report.

Ethical standards and informed consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation [institutional and national] and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all participants for being included in the study.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by We World Onlus; the National Law School of India University.

Notes on contributors

Bincy Wilson

Bincy Wilson, Ph.D., is an International Social Science Researcher passionate about gender justice and empowerment of the marginalized. She has more than 10 years of experience combating human trafficking in South Asia and the USA. She has published several academic papers on commercial sexual exploitation from a psycho-socio-legal perspective.