Sagar Gram, a village in central India, is unusual-girls outnumber boys. People celebrate the birth of girls, and women are the main breadwinners. But despite this, many girls are trapped in child sexual exploitation from a very young age.

Poverty and caste discrimination play a major role. Families often choose which daughters will start sex work, seeing it as a way to earn money. Girls are groomed from childhood-older girls teach the younger ones how to attract customers from passing trucks and cars.

Leena, 22, started working at 15. She says, “The rest of the girls in my village were doing it, so I felt it was my responsibility.” Her first encounter earned her 5,000 rupees (£55), but over time, earnings dropped.

Even when the law protects children, social pressure and economic hardship force families to continue this practice. Few alternative jobs exist, and police struggle to enforce change.

Some, like Balram Chauhan, fight to protect their daughters, but they face social ostracism and systemic barriers. This cycle traps thousands of girls, showing how tradition and poverty sustain caste- and gender-based slavery in India.