Trafficking is a criminal offence and it has been unnecessarily confused in the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act. It has become a moral or immoral issue. Traffickers, and this can include family members, are all part of an organised criminal network. They are waiting like hawks for the girls to come of age. Today the state is actually responsible.
Abject poverty is one of the main reasons.
The girl is 'married ' to the goddess and in the case of those married to the Goddess Yellamma, the symbol of this is a little necklace of white and red beads tied around her neck. A ceremony is held to mark the dedication and the girl has to then earn her living by dancing and singing in praise of the goddess. Although the custom is now illegal, in Karnataka and other states where the practice still lingers on, women who are dedicated to the Goddess Yellamma when very young, are often sold into prostitution. Meena Menon wrote the above article as part of a media research fellowship from the National Foundation for India.