Human trafficking, female foeticide and infanticide make India the fourth most dangerous country in the world for women according to a recent expert poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Afghanistan's violence and poverty took it to the top spot, followed by Congo due to horrific levels of rape, and then Pakistan.

The poll by TrustLaw, a legal news service run by Thomson Reuters Foundation, marked the launch of its new TrustLaw Women section, a global hub of news and information on women’s legal rights.

TrustLaw asked 213 gender experts from five continents to rank countries by overall perceptions of danger as well as by six risks. The risks were health threats, sexual abuse, non-sexual violence, cultural or religious factors, lack of access to resources and trafficking. According to TrustLaw, South Asia may boast a number of female leaders and be home to cultures that revere motherhood and worship female deities, but many women live with the threat of appalling violence and without many basic rights.

In India, one of the most powerful figures in the country’s political history was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Her daughter-in-law, Sonia Gandhi, now leads the main party in a coalition government, while three other top political positions -- the president, speaker of the house and leader of the opposition -- are all held by women.

India's women at risk

Despite this, many women in India are exploited and discriminated against. This is particularly true of Dalit women, who fall below the caste system and are victims of double discrimination as portrayed in the documentary ‘India’s Forgotten Women’ (Available from DFN UK for £10 – enquire here).

The extent of human trafficking in India has been highlighted in the poll. Women are particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking and ritualised prostitution (e.g. devadasi, jogini, matamma – where young girls are dedicated to a goddess and then sold for sex when they reach puberty), but also make up the majority of those in bonded labour and domestic service. These are all issues that are a focus for Dalit Freedom Network UK’s campaigning and action. 90% of Indians trafficked are Dalits.

Another major issue confronting India is the skewed sex ratio and the increasing number of ‘missing’ girls, a euphemism for the abortion of female foetuses. Recent studies suggest up to 12 million girls were deliberately aborted in the last three decades in India, due to a strong preference for boys in some parts of the country.

This has implications for trafficking due to a shortage of brides, particularly in places such as Haryana, a major destination for victims of bride trafficking. A DFN UK associate was recently involved in the rescue of a girl trafficked from Manipur in the north east of India. The 14 year-old girl had met a man from Delhi who struck up a relationship with her, and duped her into going to Delhi on the pretext of marrying her. Her parents reported this as a case of human trafficking, and our colleagues were able to mount a rescue with the police. They arrived just in time, as the trafficker was about to sell her for 50,000 rupees (about £700) as a bride to an older man. Although the trafficker denied any wrongdoing, the rescued girl made accusations of repeated rape and sexual abuse against him.

Tackling the trafficking of India's women

Dalit Freedom Network is tackling the issue of human trafficking through advocacy in the UK and on-the-ground projects in India^[1]. Our rescue shelters are caring for survivors of ritualised prostitution, sex trafficking, and also the trafficking of tribal women and girls mainly from the north east. They are also working with the children of joginis (a form of ritualised prostitution) as part of a prevention project to help them avoid following in their mothers’ footsteps. Our economic development projects, such as self-help groups, livelihood management, microfinance and vocational training all focus predominantly on helping women. Women’s empowerment seminars help women to learn about their legal and human rights – often they do not know what they are entitled to nor where to turn for help. In addition, Dalit Education Centres, as well as increasing the self-esteem and confidence of Dalit girls, also provide knowledge and skills to give them better job prospects. This helps to lift them out of the cycle of poverty, exploitation and discrimination. Find out how you can support these projects that help make India safer for women or sponsor the education of a child through Free A Dalit Child.

[1] Run by our partner organisation OMIF