Child prostitution has become a common commercial phenomenon in most of the countries and we find very few countries where it is not an organized trade. No doubt, it is a centuries-old social problem that has gradually sustained and spread its tentacles in every nook and corner of the world and India is no exception.

Child prostitution has several angles to its dirty shade throwing up complex challenges to face on various fronts; abuse of child rights, gender discrimination, erosion of ethical and human values, poverty, misuse of human resources and cultural abuse.

Unfortunately, India has long back closed its eyes towards many a dirty social stigma like dowry, child labor, bonded labor, political corruption, destruction of joint families, exploitation of the underprivileged, misuse of political power and child marriages despite the country being armed with several powerful Acts and Laws to curb them. Child prostitution only adds to the list of these neglected areas that have been continuing unabated and bringing in new problems to the civilized sections of society.

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Child prostitution in India-1
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Child prostitution is no different from prostitution among adults and it has evidently become the long arm of the mafia and underworld crime gangs in several cities across India with the lion’s share of the questionable trade being taken over by the organized gangs in the metro cities.

The abnormal increase in the volume of child prostitution has certainly become a major worrying factor for the NGOs and social activists who would surely love to see our young children grow with good education in a decent atmosphere and lead respectable lives.

Five to six years ago, the age group of child prostitutes in India varied from 14 to 16 years but intriguingly, this has now decreased to 10 to 14 years.