ABSTRACT Trafficking of women and girls for forced marriage in India is a growing phenomenon. Acute poverty, dowry practices, and precarious family socioeconomic conditions after the COVID-19 pandemic in India have resulted in evidence that young girls are being sold and lured through false promises of employment and good quality of life for the purpose of exploitation. Studying the experiences of 34 Indian trafficking victims, this paper explores and analyses the dynamics of human trafficking for the purpose of marriage and to describe their experiences and health conditions (physical and mental) during the trafficking. Findings revealed that victims were forced to marry before reaching the legal marriage age (18 years), and were subjected to multiple forms of violence, including verbal abuse, threats, physical and sexual violence, which co-occurred in diverse contexts at work and resulted in a wide range of physical health consequences, from head injuries to broken bones and mental health problems. The study concluded on the need for strong implementation of law enforcement in the region to stop the trafficking for forced marriage, including a highly needed intensive awareness program to eradicate patriarchal attitudes and practices on the commoditisation of women, dowry practices, and curb the trafficking network.
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