Gender-Based Violence in the Global South: Intersectional Challenges in Research on Sexual Violence Against Women and Sex Workers in South Asia

This roundtable will explore the intersectional challenges in research on gender-based violence (GBV) against women and sex workers in South Asia. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission defines GBV as an umbrella term for any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person's will, and that is based on socially ascribed differences in gender. Forms of GBV include sexual violence, namely exploitation, sexual abuse, forced prostitution, sex trafficking, and early or forced marriage. In recent years, the United Nations and the International Federation of Social Workers have increasingly prioritized addressing GBV in the Global South, including South Asia.

GBV impacts people across the gender and sexuality spectrum in South Asia, including cisgender women, gender nonbinary people and sex workers. According to the National Family Health Survey of India, 33% of ever-married women in India have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional partner violence. Gender roles influence attitudes about filing a formal police complaint, known in India as a Forensic Investigative Report (FIR). Our research demonstrates that women are treated with skepticism regarding the veracity of their complaints. To prevent shame and social stigma., they often avoid filing a FIR.

In a study conducted by two members of our roundtable discussion, 40 sex worker mothers in Kolkata, India, sexual violence was again common. The harmful effects of sexual violence were mitigated by community mobilization from sex worker organizations that helped shape the orientation that sex work is a legitimate form of labor. Further, mothers who engaged in sex work gained access to material resources, such as safe spaces, childcare networks, and educational opportunities.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, sexual violence against gender nonbinary people, known as khwaja sira, is also common. Childhood experiences of sexual violence are highly prevalent with gendered norms often harming or ignoring khwaja sira. Most khwaja sira experience intersectional stigma as sexual violence is also connected to negative community perceptions about their identities as sex workers or as gender nonbinary people.

Taken together, our cumulative study findings highlight an important unmet need regarding research on sexual violence against women and sexual/gender minorities engaging in sex work in South Asia. In terms of research funding, design and implementation, addressing GBV in the international context faces significant challenges in the contemporary political landscape. In this roundtable discussion, we will critically examine research gaps in the address of GBV throughout South Asia.

International research focused on public health issues like GBV, sex workers, women and sexual/gender minorities, or people living with HIV has been de-prioritized in the current research funding environment. This issue requires active strategizing on the part of social work researchers to address the ongoing challenges in GBV research throughout the Global South. As such, we will discuss alternative methods, outside of US federal funding, for international research on these topics. We will also discuss challenges and potential solutions to the design and implementation of research on sexual violence against women and sex workers in the South Asian context.