101 East
India: The Child Sex Highway
2020 • E2 Jan 17, 2020 30m
A notorious highway in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is the site of a shocking trade. Girls as young as 10 are being forced to work as prostitutes – and it’s their own families selling them to passing trucks.
The girls are from the Bachara tribe, a low-caste community known as Dalits.
Most of the Bachara men say discrimination stops them from getting jobs, so generations of girls have supported their families through prostitution.
Filming undercover, 101 East discovers girls as young as 10 are being offered to men.
While India introduced tougher child rape laws in 2018, advocates say the laws are not properly enforced.
The girls are from the Bachara tribe, a low-caste community known as Dalits.
Most of the Bachara men say discrimination stops them from getting jobs, so generations of girls have supported their families through prostitution.
Filming undercover, 101 East discovers girls as young as 10 are being offered to men.
While India introduced tougher child rape laws in 2018, advocates say the laws are not properly enforced.