Sex Tourism in India: The Hidden Industry Exploiting Thousands

Sex tourism in India is a growing, deeply disturbing crisis that hides in plain sight.

It refers to the practice of travelling to foreign countries with the intention of engaging in sexual activity. This practice predominantly operates in countries where sex work is legal.

While India presents itself to the world as a land of culture, spirituality and natural beauty, there is a darker reality operating beneath the surface.

Tourists may visit the Taj Mahal, the markets of Delhi or the beaches of Goa, but for some, the true draw is the opportunity to exploit vulnerable people. This is not a fringe problem.

As detailed in the research paper A Narrative Review of Sex Tourism in India: A Danger that Needs Addressal, sex tourism has become a well-established and highly organised issue that demands urgent, sustained attention.

The Rise of a Shadow Industry

India’s emergence as a sex tourism hub has not happened by chance. It is the product of systemic failures, social inequality, and weak law enforcement.

Sex work in India sits on a legal fault line, neither fully legal nor outright banned. The result is a murky zone where sex workers survive in the gaps between the law and its enforcement.

India’s portrayal as a developing nation with lax legal oversight has made it a hotspot for those seeking anonymity and impunity.

Foreigners and Indian nationals alike are drawn by the opportunity to exploit a vulnerable population.

The paper notes a “lack of proper restriction, lack of proper monitoring, lack of strong law and order are luring foreigners, as well as Indian nationals, indulge themselves in sex-related crimes.”

Demand is not limited to commercial sex; there is a darker, more predatory pursuit of “ethnically different and legally underage citizens”.

Financial desperation plays a central role. Traffickers often target households facing acute economic distress, offering false promises of opportunity.

As the study explains: “Traffickers primarily target the economical issue in these households and lure children out by promising a life that can put an end to their misfortune.”

What results is a system that turns poverty into profit. Vulnerable people are commodified, and the hope of escape becomes a tool for entrapment.

The Spectrum of Exploitation

Sex tourism in India exists along a wide and disturbing spectrum, from prostitution to slavery and child exploitation.

In Mumbai’s Kamathipura red-light district, prostitution is prevalent. Yet even here, distinctions between choice and coercion are blurred by poverty and social pressure.

The industry also includes pornography and live or recorded sex shows, which are attractions for tourists.

A particularly grotesque branch is the “mail-order bride” trade, where women are brought to a country and are trafficked, with men marrying them.

At the most harrowing end of the spectrum is child sex tourism and sex slavery.

Victims, mostly women and children, are coerced or violently forced into sexual servitude.

These crimes are difficult to detect, and the true number of victims remains unknown. The UN defines child sex tourism as involving “an adult seeking sexual pleasure from a person under 18″.

The numbers are staggering.

In 2021, India’s National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) recorded 77,535 missing children. That same year saw 59,262 reported cases, a 30.8% rise from the previous year.

These figures reflect not just disappearances but the machinery of exploitation robbing children of their futures.

Every link in this chain, from street-level prostitution to international child trafficking, feeds a culture of abuse that thrives on impunity and demand.

The Unspeakable Dangers and Human Cost

Sex tourism in India is not just a social or legal problem; it is a human tragedy, with numerous cases that expose the raw, brutal reality of this trade.

One such case is that of Timothy Geddes, a UK citizen arrested in Maharashtra in 2015. Authorities found six boys living illegally in his home, four of whom were underage and sourced from outside Goa without parental consent.

It was not a one-off incident, but part of a larger operation.

Then there is Freddy Peats, an infamous paedophile who ran a child prostitution ring from a so-called charity home in Goa.

Described as “a devil in disguise waiting to prey upon young children”, he subjected numerous children to years of abuse before finally being convicted. His case revealed how long predators can operate without detection.

Sex tourism also involves the international trafficking of women.

Two Uzbekistani women, Shakhnoza Shukurova and Atazhanova Kupalbayevna, were murdered by Indian handlers for allegedly betraying them.

Their deaths revealed a wider trafficking ring involving foreign nationals and confirmed their roles as victims, not criminals, in the global sex trade.

Another victim was a 16-year-old girl from Kolkata, an 8th-standard dropout lured into prostitution by promises of luxury.

The International Justice Mission (IJM), which rescued her, said: “Criminals often used the emotional and financial weakness of children to lure them into the sex trade.”

These stories represent more than isolated incidents. They are windows into a world of systemic abuse, each life torn apart by a trade that sees people as disposable.

Laws and Loopholes

India’s legal framework does include provisions to fight trafficking and sexual exploitation.

The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA) of 1956 bans soliciting, brothels, and pimping. It also mandates that sex work cannot occur within 200 yards of public places and promises rescue and rehabilitation for victims.

Section 2 of the Indian Penal Code states: “Every person shall be liable to punishment under this Code… for every act or omission contrary to the provisions thereof, which he shall be guilty within India.”

Additionally, the Goa Children’s Act of 2003 targets child sex tourism specifically and led to the establishment of child-friendly courts.

But enforcement is the weak link. Raids require solid proof and prior authorisation, creating bureaucratic delays that traffickers exploit.

This loophole is “fully utilised by people who run sex rackets to their advantage”.

Corruption is another major barrier. It “leads to the grave inefficiency of the task force that is meant to curb the crime and often leads to a deadly silence towards the crime”.

In some cases, the protectors become perpetrators.

Even when justice is served, legal complexity can undermine it.

One example is Raymon Varley, an accomplice of Freddy Peats. He fled to the UK and successfully avoided extradition by claiming dementia, depriving victims of their right to a trial.

The failure to enforce the law consistently turns India into a perceived safe haven for abusers, while victims face a lifelong fight for justice.

Societal Fault Lines and the Digital Threat

Beyond legal and economic drivers, societal attitudes play a significant role in perpetuating sex tourism. A deeply patriarchal mindset normalises the objectification of women and denies them education or autonomy.

As the paper states: “In India, the patriarchal mindset prevails large-scale and often women are not even given proper education or even allowed to mingle with people.”

This makes them emotionally and financially vulnerable, perfect targets for traffickers.

On the demand side, many men are socialised without healthy relationships with women, exposed instead to harmful online content.

This leads to a culture of entitlement and distorted expectations, fuelling an unrelenting demand for sex tourism.

Technology has added a new layer of danger. The internet is a “huge pit” where criminals use social media and dating platforms to groom victims. VPNs and anonymous browsing make it easier to avoid detection.

To counter this, the study calls for advanced solutions: AI-powered software to monitor online grooming, facial recognition technology in cities, and better digital regulation.

This modern digital dimension is a significant challenge. It allows traffickers to operate across borders and platforms with little fear of accountability, expanding the reach of an already global crime.

Sex tourism in India is not a distant issue; it is a national emergency that reflects global failures in law, policy, and empathy.

Economic hardship, legal loopholes, patriarchal norms, and digital tools all work in tandem to feed an industry that reduces human lives to merchandise.

The stories of Freddy Peats and trafficked women from Uzbekistan are more than headlines; they are evidence of systemic collapse.

The NCRB’s child disappearance statistics speak volumes about the scale of this human rights disaster.

India must undergo a cultural reckoning, one that dismantles misogyny, confronts privilege, and prioritises human dignity. Turning the tide means refusing to look away.

In the end, the real question is not just what governments or NGOs can do, but what all of us are willing to confront, challenge, and change. Because silence, in this context, is complicity.