A red light district is not limited to a business for sex. Children are born here and grow up under the confines of such a society, learning to use their sexuality to get attention and gain approval from the adults around them. These children face great stigma and discrimination and despite the government's efforts to improve conditions for the children, their status isolates them from the word and places them on the lowest rungs of Indian society.
These children are victims of their circumstances from birth, as they have been denied the opportunity to grow up in an environment conducive to healthy physical and psychological development. Access to education, healthcare, and protection services is blocked due to stigma. In their homes, children often subjected to abuse and witness their mothers being beaten and humiliated by clients, pimps, madams, brothel owners, and the police. Many times, in order to shield their children from such an environment, mothers turn to marriage, leading to child marriage.
On the other hand, boys become involved in the sex trade at a very young age, either directly or indirectly as pimps or as trafficking agents, or more indirectly by working for political parties, through local clubs, or by selling drugs or alcohol.
Many times mothers work late into the night and are often unable to provide a suitable quiet place for their children to do their homework. Many mothers are illiterate and have limitations in supporting and understanding the demands of their children's schooling. As a result, youth from red light areas usually lack the qualifications and contacts necessary for securing formal sector jobs.