Immoral Traffic: An Ethnography of Law, NGOs, and the Governance of Prostitution in India

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Vibhuti Ramachandran (University of California, Irvine)

Immoral Traffic

An Ethnography of Law, NGOs, and the Governance of Prostitution in India

Vibhuti Ramachandran (University of California, Irvine)

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English

Cambridge University Press
24 April 2025

Migration, immigration & emigration; Crime & criminology; Human rights; Civil rights & citizenship; Law & society

Series: Cambridge Studies in Law and Society

This insightful ethnography delves into the complex intersection of India's anti-prostitution law and global anti-trafficking campaigns, and how they impact sex workers in both voluntary and involuntary situations. Immoral Traffic examines the role of legal actors and NGOs in implementing these interventions, revealing the mix of paternalism, humanitarianism, punitive care, bureaucracy, and morality in their efforts. Through a sequence of interventions prescribed by India's anti-prostitution law, the book follows the experiences of sex workers, from rescues to courts to carceral shelters. It sheds light on the ways in which donor-driven NGOs draw upon this law to implement anti-trafficking agendas, and how these interventions are navigated by women removed from the sex trade. Detailed and eye-opening, this book is a valuable resource for scholars and students of anthropology, law and society, gender and sexuality studies, South Asian studies, global studies, and critical studies of NGOs and humanitarianism.

By: Vibhuti Ramachandran (University of California Irvine)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
ISBN: 9781009490290
ISBN 10: 100949029X
Series: Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
Pages: 278
Publication Date: 24 April 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Vibhuti Ramachandran is an Assistant Professor of Global and International Studies at the University of California, Irvine. Her work connects the anthropology of law, NGOs, and the Indian state, and her broader interests include gender and sexuality,care and punishment, and labor and migration. The University of California's Hellman Fellowship supported the completion of this book.