Child Victims of Sex Trafficking in India: A Scoping Review of Experiences, Vulnerabilities, and Service Needs

Abstract Child sex trafficking in India is shaped by caste, poverty, gender inequality, and entrenched sociocultural practices, yet evidence remains fragmented across disciplines. To map existing literature on the experiences, vulnerabilities, and service needs of child victims of sex trafficking in India. A PRISMA-ScR–guided scoping review was conducted using PubMed and Scopus. Studies were included on sex trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation in India and reported on their experiences, vulnerabilities or service needs. Studies focusing exclusively on adults or conducted outside India were excluded. Of 363 records screened, 32 full texts were assessed, and 16 studies were included. Data were charted using a standardised form and synthesised thematically. Trafficking pathways included caste-based intergenerational systems, religious dedication, deceptive recruitment, and brothel-based exploitation. Children experienced early entry, repeated violence, psychological trauma, restricted autonomy, and heightened HIV risk. Key vulnerabilities were poverty, caste and gender marginalisation, early age, and weak protection systems. Identified service needs included trauma-informed care, child-friendly healthcare, educational and livelihood support, survivor-centred legal responses, and community-based prevention. Child sex trafficking in India is structurally embedded, requiring strengthened child-centred and context-responsive interventions.