Sex In India Research Articles

The material and the moral: contradictory imperatives and the production of trafficking narratives in South India

ABSTRACT Transnational anti-trafficking networks seek to ‘rescue’ cisgender women who sell sex in India. This article puzzles out why cis female sex workers might narrate themselves as victims of trafficking in need of rescue despite making comfortable livings as independent sex workers who control their own labour. I draw data from my own ethnographic observations, interviews with 130 Telugu-speaking sex workers, as well as publicly circulating media clips, all from fieldwork conducted in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana between 2009 and 2018. The victim narratives analysed here were told by sex workers familiar with arguments in favour of decriminalising and destigmatizing sex work. My research suggests that many women who sell sex value the material goals of the sex workers’ rights movement while nevertheless longing for the immaterial moral security touted by anti-traffickers. I argue that publicly performing trafficking narratives allows women who sell sex to disavow moral agency in participating in what they often refer to as tappudu pani (bad work) while nevertheless accessing the material benefits of sex work. Participating in what Lindquist has called the aesthetic of trafficking, therefore, enables them to plead for sympathy from not only faceless donors but their own moral communities.

Examining the Effect of Partial and Complete Elimination of a Specific Disease on the Gain in Life Expectancy at Birth in India and Selected States

Background: Life expectancy, especially life expectancy at birth, is a good indicator of current health condition of the population and is estimated through life tables. The present study aims to examine the effect of partial and complete elimination of a specific disease on the gain in life expectancy at birth by sex in India and selected states using Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) secondary data for 2017.
 Methods: Life tables were constructed for all cause-specific deaths using Greville method for both males and females separately for India and selected states. Cause-deleted life tables were also constructed for partial (25%, 50%, 75%) and complete (100%) elimination of ten leading cause of death groups. Gain in life expectancy was estimated as the difference between values of cause-deleted life table and cause-specific life table.
 Results: Complete elimination of diseases of the circulatory system yielded maximum gain in life expectancy at birth in males (14.64 years) and in females (15.49 years) both in Haryana. It was followed by diseases of the respiratory system in males (6.45 years) in Jharkhand and in females (6.17 years) in Uttar Pradesh; certain infectious and parasitic diseases in males (3.82 years) in Uttar Pradesh and in females (3.58 years) in Delhi; neoplasms in males (2.71 years) and in females (2.11 years) both in Kerala. Similar results were obtained in case of remaining diseases.
 Conclusions: Maximum gained years in life expectancy at birth would be obtained after reducing or eliminating mortality from diseases of the circulatory system. These findings may help in setting up health goals, allocating resources, and launching tailor-made health care programmers.

The permissible and the perverse: Indian geographies of interspecies sex

We argue in this paper that what separates permissible from perverse acts of killing, or sex with, an animal is a matter of material and symbolic space. We focus on interspecies sex –which is often, but not always, bound up with killing –to argue that what separates permissible from perverse acts of interspecies sex in India, or husbandry from bestiality, is where it occurs geographically in proximity to an upper-caste, anthropatriarchal imaginary of a Hindu nation. We argue that the state-sanctioned abattoir and its breeding facility are spaces of normalized exception, in which anthropatriarchal violences are relatively permissible, and on the same grounds as in the “human” space of the home. We trace interspecies sexual contact across spheres of bestiality, animal husbandry, petkeeping, and population control. We conclude with a queer bestial ethics of avowal, one that dispenses with anthopatriarchal innocence towards a more capacious embrace of the panspecies desire for touch and thriving.

An Epidemiology of Premarital Sexual Behaviour in India: Exploring Gender Differences

This article analyzes the social context of increasing premarital sex in India in a gender perspective, which affects the overall contexts, patterns and the characteristics of premarital sexual behaviour. The study has been conducted on data collected from 169,814 unmarried women and 40,003 unmarried men, a part of the Indian Demographic Health Survey (DHS), 2015–2016. Gender differences in premarital sex were pronounced, where unmarried men were five times more likely to have premarital sex (16%) as compared to unmarried women (3%). Cox regression portrays that both men and women at younger ages were significantly more likely to initiate premarital sex. Muslim men were significantly more likely (HR = 1.16 times) to have premarital sex at younger ages. Regional variations in the prevalence of premarital sex are pronounced. Findings reveal that unmarried women with higher education, residing in urban areas and who belong to richest wealth quintile and exposed to regular mass media were more likely to have multiple sexual partners in premarital sex. There is a striking regional variation in the low prevalence of condom use in the premarital sex reported by unmarried men as well as women. In fact, unmarried men were more likely to use condom in their first as well as last premarital sexual encounter than their women counterparts. Findings suggest strengthening the empowerment of youth, especially women, through enhancing their reproductive and sexual rights education and promoting safe sexual behaviour in premarital sexual encounters.

Pathways to Male Transactional Sex in Mumbai, India

ABSTRACTThe article explores pathways to male transactional sex, focusing on entering, soliciting practices, role of pimps, client characteristics, and negotiations. Little scientific literature exists regarding male transactional sex in India, who represent a high-risk group for HIV infection. Case studies with 10 men who engage in transactional sex were conducted, who were recruited using purposive snowball sampling and interviewed at a social service organization. Participants differed in their sexual identity, sex roles, soliciting practices, and clients. Most of them listed economic crisis as their reason for entering transactional sex. Strategies to find clients included self-solicitation and referrals, while pimps played a major role in solicitation, negotiations, and events of crisis. The relationship among men who engage in transactional sex, pimps, and clients involves points of negotiation, opportunities, and limitations. HIV prevention should focus on identifying and addressing the groups’ unique needs and working with pimps on risk-reduction strategies and crisis interventions.

Attitudes Towards Premarital Sex in India: Traditionalism and Cultural Change

Every society changes with time. With prosperity and improvement in economic conditions, values change. Traditional values that a society carries attenuate and modernity replaces age-old notions. The present article inspects the sixth wave of the World Values Survey examining changing perceptions of Indian respondents towards sex before marriage. It is observed that premarital sex in India is becoming more common but still not widespread. The ordered logit regression analysis reveals that whereas religious minded, single and left-leaning respondents are more traditional, respondents belonging to higher class or lower education level are more permissive about premarital sex. The article concludes that with the increase in permissiveness towards premarital sex and the possibility of unprotected, risky sexual behaviour, suitable policies should be adopted to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

Cross border migration enhancing reproductive vulnerability of the left behind women and their coping mechanism through self help groups: A study of Bangladesh

This study analyzes the range of vulnerabilities among the left behind women (LBW) and their coping strategies primarily focusing on Self Help Groups (SHGs). The basic data used in this paper were collected as part of the Mid Term Review of a cross country intervention on Enhancing Mobile Populations’ Access to HIV&AIDS Services, Information and Support (EMPHASIS) in South Asia in 2012. The reproductive vulnerabilities of the left behind women like sexually transmitted infections (STIs), reproductive tract infections (RTIs), human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are primarily due to the risky sexual behaviour of husbands at destination. The other vulnerabilities faced by the left behind women are the lack of capacity in treatment seeking, physical harassments and social vulnerabilities with the blind administrative response. The self-help groups have proved to be a boon in the life of these left behind women in Bangladesh and have also moulded their lives for beneficence. Compared to their previous lives without the association of self-help groups, left behind women can now address their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and impart this knowledge to their husband and ask them to abstain from sex in India or to have safe sex with female sex workers (FSWs). Self help groups also have impacted their social and financial positions reducing social harassment. The mobility of the left behind women has increased in and outside community improving their treatment seeking behaviour. They have now become literate about their sexual and reproductive rights and negotiate with their husbands to use condoms when they come back. Key words: Left behind women, cross border migration, Bangladesh, reproductive vulnerability, HIV & AIDS.

Differential cataract blindness by sex in India: Evidence from two large national surveys

Aims:Women suffer disproportionately more from cataract blindness compared to males in low- and middle-income countries. Two large population-based surveys have been undertaken in India at an interval of 7 years and data from these surveys provided an opportunity to assess the trends in gender differentials in cataract blindness.Materials and Methods:Data were extracted from the surveys to discern sex differences in cataract blindness. Multivariate analysis was performed to adjust for confounders and their impact on gender differences in cataract blindness. Blindness was defined as presenting vision <20/400 in the better eye, and a cataract blind person was defined as a blind person where the principal cause of loss of vision was cataract.Results:Prevalence of cataract blindness was higher in females compared to males in both surveys. The odds of cataract blindness for females did not change over time as observed in the surveys (1999–2001 and 2006–2007). Adjusted odds ratio from logistic regression analysis revealed that females continued to be at a higher risk of cataract blindness.Conclusions:Sex differences continued in India in relation to cataract blindness despite the gains made by the national program.

The contribution of age-specific mortality towards male and female life expectancy differentials in India and selected States, 1970-2013

Most research on mortality differentials by sex in India focuses on disparities among children under 5 years of age. In this paper, we assess the changing age and cause patterns of mortality by sex in India and selected States using survey data and including mortality trends over the life span. Since the 1970s, the gap between female and male mortality in India has increased to females’ advantage. This occurred despite persisting higher female mortality below age 5, a disadvantage masked by the large gap favoring women at adult and older ages. This paper finds that the life expectancy gap between females and males in the second half of the 1990s can be attributed mainly to non-communicable diseases and external causes of death. While more developed States (primarily in the South) showed higher female longevity already in the 1970s, the States that lagged behind displayed similar mortality levels for females and males up until the turn of the century.

Farmer's Suicides in India and its Causes

The present paper farmer's suicide in India and its causes, attempts to find out the farmers suicides scenario in India and their cause. The study was based on the secondary data collected from different official sources. The farmer's suicide data collected for the period of 2000–2012. The analysis of data revealed that continuous decline in the share of agriculture and allied sectors in the GDP from 22.4 percent in 2001–02 to 13.9 percent in 2013–14 at 2004–05 prices. Whereas analysis of Farmers ’Suicides and All Suicides by Sex in India Between 2000 and 2012 reported 214505 farmer's suicides, which is 13.74 per cent of all reported suicide deaths. Suicide rates were higher in non farming community i.e. 15.7 percent and 16.9 percent as against the 14.6 percent and 15.3 percent for farmers in year 2011 and 2012 respectively. Beside these cause-wise number of farmer's suicides by sex group in India were also analyzed and it revealed that maximum farmers (1163) committed suicide due to Bankruptcy or Indebtedness followed by family problems faced by 1135 farmers.

008.1 How far violation of bodily rights of women is linked to sexual and reproductive morbidities? a study of india and select states and districts

Introduction This paper aims to link violation of bodily (sexual and reproductive) rights of women with sexual and reproductive morbidities in India and specifically in states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and four select districts from each state namely Kishenganj, Kanpur, Guntur and Bellary. Methods National Family Health Survey-3 and CHARCA data has been used for this research. Bivariate and multivariate analyses have been done for analysis. Results More than two-fifths of women in India experiencing sexual violence suffered abnormal genital discharge, 5 percent suffered genital sore or ulcer against 9 percent and 2 percent women respectively who did not experience sexual violence. Women experiencing forced sex/sexual act are three times more likely to have STD (p Conclusion The occurrence of sexual and reproductive morbidities in last twelve months was more prevalent among women experiencing forced sex in India and the select states/districts. The prevalence of these morbidities is least found among women of the southern states since less women in these states experience sexual violence perpetuated by their husbands. Specifically, in the districts, women whose bodily rights were violated experienced more miscarriages than women who did not experience sexual violence. Disclosure of interest statement Not applicable.

Behind the shroud of heteronormative silence: Tales of same-sex desire

Indian HIV policy is based on the misguided assumption that most sex in India takes place within monogamous, heterosexual settings. This over-emphasis on the heterosexual transmission of the disease has meant the rise of prevalence in the population vulnerable to non-heterosexual transmission of the disease. This article will place the disavowal of same-sex desire in post-colonial India within a historic context, and go behind the veil of heteronormative silence to tell the stories of sexual minorities, doubly stigmatized by poverty, as they seek sexual gratification in the shadows of Indian society.

Book Review: LGBT Transnational Identity and the Media, edited by Christopher Pullen

LGBT Transnational Identity and the Media. Christopher Pullen, ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. 313 pp. $95 hbk.Christopher Pullen, senior lecturer in studies at Bournemouth University, is also author or editor of Documenting Gay Men; Gay Identity, New Storytelling and the Media; and LGBT Identity and New Media, and thus no stranger to topics in his LGBT Transnational Identity and the Media. Indeed this book's chapters are about LGBT identity and also about although mostly about only documentary film.After Pullen's introductory chapter on themes and terms, the book presents chap- ters on gender/sexual minorities in Middle Eastern TV and film; Iranian transsexuals; HIV/AIDS educational films in South Africa; Cape Town's (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and [LGBTQ]) Pride Parade; Argentina's same-sex marriage movement; Malaysian transsexuals; an Egyptian novel, The Yacoubian Building; early (meaning 1960s) gay narratives on BBC; a gay, Asian, Muslim character on Britain's long-running EastEnders soap opera; two chapters on Indian LGBTQ docu- mentaries, Khush (covered in both) and Happy Hookers; Latin American gay pornog- raphy as queer historiography; gay characters in U.S. Latino film; two chapters on Turkish drag queens; George Takei (Sulu from the original Star Trek cast) coming out; and camp in recent Hong Kong and mainland Chinese films.The chapters seem like a mishmash, and they are, the only common ground being something about LGBTQ identity in each one and a lot of language and concepts drawn from cultural studies, critical theory, and literary criticism. In an attempt to fend off complaints that the book is not cohesive, Pullen cheekily asserts that the book's diversity is what makes it cohesive. Note that not even the entire book is about media, as the term media usually would not include a novel, a gay pride parade, or a same- sex marriage movement not connected to media.One wonders why one chapter incorrectly asserts that in India, gay sex was illegal when this book was published. (It is again, because India's Supreme Court in late 2013 reversed a July 2009 Delhi High Court decision.) That chapter also asserts that penal- ties may include execution, which is and has never been true. Confusingly, the very next chapter correctly states that at publication, gay sex in India was legal. (The same- sex partners carved in ancient Indian temples will be relieved.)But the book's two most substantial problems as an academic work are the term transnational and the nature of each chapter's substance. On the latter point, every chapter in this book is long on theories and conclusions and extremely short on facts/ evidence. …

Are Girls the Fairer Sex in India? Revisiting Intra-Household Allocation of Education Expenditure

Using a Hurdle model, the paper finds that although significant progress in gender equality in education was achieved during 1993–2005, pro-male gender bias still exists in the within-household allocation of educational expenditure. This bias occurs primarily through differential spending on sons and daughters in the primary and middle school age groups, but through the decision to enroll sons and not daughters in the secondary school age group. Bias is substantially greater in rural than urban areas. An important mechanism through which households spend less on girls is by sending sons to private schools and daughters to the fee-free government schools.

Are Girls the Fairer Sex in India? Revisiting Intra-Household Allocation of Education Expenditure

This paper revisits the issue of the intra-household allocation of education expenditure with the recently available India Human Development Survey which refers to 2005 and covers both urban and rural areas. In addition to the traditional Engel method, the paper utilizes a Hurdle model to disentangle the decision to enroll (incur any educational expenditure) and the decision of how much to spend on education, conditional on enrolling. Finally the paper also uses household fixed effects to examine whether any gender bias is a within-household phenomenon. The paper finds that the traditional Engel method often fails to pick up gender bias where it exists not only because of the aggregation of data at the household-level but also because of aggregation of the two decisions in which gender can have opposite signs. It is found that pro-male gender bias exists in the primary school age group for several states but that the incidence of gender bias increases with age - it is greater in the middle school age group (10-14 years) and greater still in the secondary school age group (15-19 years). However, gender discrimination in the secondary school age group 15-19 takes place mainly through the decision to enroll boys and not girls, and not through differential expenditure on girls and boys. The results also suggest that the extent of pro-male gender bias in educational expenditure is substantially greater in rural than in urban areas. Finally, our results suggest that an important mechanism through which households spend less on girls than boys is by sending sons to fee-charging private schools and daughters to the fee-free government-funded schools.

Regarding Blanchard and colleagues' comments on HIV and commercial sex in India

Contrary to Blanchard and colleagues mis-statement of our position we do not say that HIV transmission through sex is unimportant. We argue that heterosexual commercial sex is very likely responsible for 2-15% of HIV infections among adults. But there are other sexual events to consider. We also do not say that injections are more important than sex in the transmission of HIV in India. We urge attention to all blood exposures not only injections. Other common blood exposures include for example surgeries at health camps blood tests tattooing and dental care. From the available evidence it is not possible to know if blood exposures are more important than sexual exposures. As Potterat pointed out in an editorial published with our article new studies and new evidence are required. Our estimate of the number of HIV infections from commercial sex depends on the number of contacts between female sex workers (FSWs) and clients and not directly on the number of FSWs. Our best and high estimates are that 7-10% of Indian men aged 15-64 years visit FSWs at an average of 7-12 times per year. If these estimates are accurate then debates about the number of FSWs do not undermine our estimate of HIV transmission through commercial sex. The number of FSWs in India and their average number of clients per year will vary according to the definition of FSW. For example in 2003 the India-Canada Collaborative HIV/AIDS Project estimated 11366 easily identifiable urban and rural FSWs in 17 of Karnatakas 28 districts. These FSWs averaged about eight clients per week. (excerpt)

Combating Human Trafficking Through Social Policing

meaning a friend for all seasons in Kannada, the language spoken by the people of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, is the name of an organization that has translated this verbal expression of human bonding into action. It advocates the cause of trafficked women and children for commercial sex in India. Based in Mysore, Karnataka, Odanadi Seva Samsthe's (Odanadi Welfare Organization) founding duo, K.V. Stanly and M.L. Parashuram, have launched a relentless campaign since 1992 to not only curb and expose the flesh trade, but also rescue, rehabilitate and empower the victims of sexual exploitation. They have rescued 1,230 women and rehabilitated them with alternative livelihoods, freed 650 minors, from the clutches of traffickers in various parts of Karnataka, and as many as 550 children have been reintegrated with their families. The mainstay of Odanadi's approach is its highly successful social policing program. Recognized by both the state and central governments, Odanadi is frequently consulted at the national level on its strategies and the central Human Resource Development Ministry is considering adopting the Odanadi model.

Enhancing Sensuality for Safer Sex Among Men in India

Stigma and legal sanctions against homosexuality, as well as gender norms among men who have sex with men (MSM), lead to an emphasis on aggression, power play and penetration in male-to-male sex in India. This in turn contributes to low levels of condom use among MSM and transgender people, and increases the risk of HIV and ill-health. This article explores the potential for promotion of more sensuous, pleasurable, and communicative sex which could also be safer. The article draws on the author’s research as well as on his personal experience working as a masseur in massage parlours in Kolkata which provide commercial sexual services to male clients. Strategies are proposed for creating safer social and sexual spaces for MSM, including those working in the sex industry. The findings are being used to develop behaviour change communication (BCC) strategies and material to promote elements of sensuousness in male-to-male sex.

How much attention is needed towards men who sell sex to men for HIV prevention in India?

BackgroundHIV prevention in India has mostly focussed on heterosexual transmission. Data on homosexual transmission are not readily available from India. We therefore assessed the probability of acquiring and transmitting HIV for men who sell sex to men and compared this with women who sell sex in India.MethodsSexual behaviour characteristics of 6661 men who have sex with men and 6648 women who sell sex were obtained in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh through confidential interviews. These, along with estimates of HIV rates among them and risk of HIV transmission per unprotected sex act from other sources, were used to calculate their annual probability of acquiring and transmitting HIV.ResultsOf 6661 men who have sex with men in this sample, 1776 (26.7%) had sold sex to men. For every 1000 men who sell sex to men, annually 146 (95% confidence interval [CI] 116–179) would acquire HIV and HIV would be transmitted to 55 (95% CI 42–71) men who do not sell sex or women. These estimates were higher by 6.7 (95% CI 4.9–9.2) times for acquiring HIV and 2.5 (95% CI 2.0–3.2) times for transmitting HIV to sex partners outside their group, as compared with similar estimates for women who sell sex. In this sample, the average annual probability of acquiring HIV was higher among men who have sex with men but do not sell sex as compared with women who sell sex.ConclusionThese data indicate that men who sell sex to men are at much higher risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV than women who sell sex. Therefore, men who sell sex to men and their clients warrant substantial attention for comprehensive HIV prevention in India.

Selective abortion on the basis of fetal sex in India

Selective abortion on the basis of fetal sex in India