Young girls in south India continue to be “dedicated” to village temples and then forced into prostitution despite laws banning the ancient ritual, researchers said. The devadasi system, which involves putting a beaded necklace around girls and often leads to a life of sex work and slavery, goes unchecked in Karnataka state, according to two reports released this month.

Deadly disputes over land and indigenous rights are not obvious themes for children’s books, but Indian writers are using real-life conflicts to help the next generation understand their impact on communities across the country.

Everyone did well from Nary's marriage to a Chinese man, except the young Cambodian bride herself, who returned home from the six-year ordeal destitute, humiliated and with little prospect of seeing her son again.