Withering Flowers, A Criminal Tradition in India: A Study on Caste Based Prostitution Among Bedia and Banchhara Community in Madhya Pradesh

Caste based prostitution is a traditional social system, still existing in India. Historical evidences of the prevalent practice reveal that the system originated some 500 years ago. Madhya Pradesh state of the country is one of the major source areas from where the girls involved in caste-based prostitution migrate to different metropolitan cities of India. Putting into focus two tribal communities namely, Bedia and Banchhara, the present field survey based exploratory study attempts to understand the various dimensions of caste-based prostitution in Madhya Pradesh. The study was conducted in both the source areas and the destination points and covers the socio-economic and health conditions of the involved girls and women, the causes and mechanism of the system, the kinds of network operated to initiate the process and the roles of various agencies and the magnitude of exploitation faced by the girls/women in source and destination area.