Forced sex work in the Banchhada community traces back to British colonial rule, when police extorted women from the community to free detained men. The practice persisted even after the community was de-notified as a Scheduled Caste in 1952.
From childhood, Banchhada girls are conditioned to see sex work as a normal, lucrative path. They are pulled out of school after Class 8 or 9, family members act as pimps, and elders frame the practice as tradition. Dowry is also paid by a groom’s family to compensate the girl’s family for lost income when she marries.
The trade runs through informal networks. Highway dhaba owners broker client deals, with rates ranging from ₹300 for 10 minutes to ₹10,000 for underage girls. Many sex workers operate from AC-equipped home rooms to avoid violence from drunk clients at hotels and police raids.
Women who try to escape face massive, overlapping barriers. Many born out of wedlock lack caste certificates, cutting them off from government reservations and scholarships. Caste panchayats punish defectors, and government livelihood programs often cannot match the income from sex work. This leads many rescued women to return to the trade once they turn 18 and lose access to hostel support.
Small local efforts are making measurable headway. A committee of college-going youth in Sagargram ended sex work and liquor sales in their village within a year. Social workers also support girls who push back against family pressure to enter the trade.
District administrations have taken targeted steps to reduce structural barriers. They have pushed back against private school and office discrimination to place Banchhada women in teaching and public help desk roles. They also issue caste certificates via ancestral records for people with no registered father.
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