Challenges of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in India Need for Legislative Reforms in Partnership with the Social-Work Profession

This article examines the challenges of commercial sexual exploitation of children in India, ranging from the traditional religion-sanctioned commercial sexual exploitation of children, to child trafficking for brothel-based prostitution, to the recent trends in child-sex tourism. It then reviews India's legislation to deal with these problems. Identifying the gaps, the article concludes with recommendations for a child rights-based comprehensive legislation for child protection and the role of the social-work profession to support such legislation.