Case Study: Trauma and Child Slavery in India



Weekly Topic Overview: This week we continue our examination of specific case studies of childhood trauma across cultures by focusing on the experiences of children and adolescents who have been forced into child slavery. By explicitly focusing on the case of India, our aim is to gain a sense of the current situation of child slavery in India, as well as around the world, in order to determine the circumstances that lead to the perpetuation of child slavery today. We will ask whether child slavery constitutes “trauma” and if so, how these children and adolescents may be affected by the trauma they have endured due to their enslavement. We will investigate whether child slavery has other short- and long-term effects on the general psychological well-being of these individuals as well.  

By focusing on child slavery, we will determine how ongoing forms of child enslavement and abuse are contributing to childhood trauma across the globe in this era of globalization.

Weekly Learning Objectives:

This week you will...

1. Learn about the existence and prevalence of child slavery in India.

2. Explore the psychological effects of child slavery on children and adolescents in India with a particular focus

on trauma.
3. Determine how child slavery is contributing to childhood trauma more generally in the world today.