FROM BONDAGE TO FREEDOM 8. 20 Religious and Cultural Vulnerability In some countries like India and Nepal, religious and traditional customs in the term of devadasi or devki system provide legitimization to trafficking and slavery like practices. Such violence, legal and illegal is then considered a normal private family matter and accepted by society as a normal cultural practice. 9. Information Technology Vulnerability As a pull factor, information technology, particularly Internet, has been increasingly used to market women and children for the purposes of pornography, prostitution and matrimony. The Coalition Against Trafficking research on the use of the Internet for global sexual exploitation for women and children reveals that websites for men enjoy brisk business selling comprehensive sex related information about every country in the world. The World Wide Web includes the world sex guide, which is a virtual grocery store where men, women and girls in over 80 countries can be selected for sex tourism. These websites provide detailed information on sex tours including where to find prostitutes, hotel prices, taxi fares and the sex acts that can be bought. The impact of Internet on the sexual exploitation of vulnerable groups is unprecedented. As Internet is a medium virtually without mediators or borders, illegal or harmful acts committed on it entail fewer risks. It is infinitely more economical, accessible to procure women and children. Men can completely objectify and classify women and children according to colour, firmness of skin and compliance to men. Through, Internet, the dehumanization of women as sexual objects has reached unimaginable levels. 10. Vulnerability to Authority Complicity The UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, notes trafficked women have reported high levels of government participation and complicity48. Officials accept bribes from traffickers in return for allowing traffickers to cross-borders and also in some cases officials may be directly involved in the process. For example, there are reports of direct involvement of both Burmese and 48 Supra note 30.