Nepal Trafficking in Girls With Special Reference to Prostitution: A ...

A Rapid Assessment
II. Methodology
2.1 Rapid Assessment
This study is based on the Rapid Assessment (RA)
methodology developed by the International
Labour Organization/International Programme on the
Elimination of Child Labour (ILO/IPEC) and the
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The purpose
of the Rapid Assessment is twofold: to understand
the situation of trafficking in children in Nepal
with special reference to prostitution and to suggest
feedback for designing intervention strategies for combating
this situation.
Combining both quantitative and qualitative data
gathering tools, the Rapid Assessment is aimed at
obtaining in-depth knowledge of a given phenomenon
within only three months. Secondary information has
been obtained from available sources such as reports,
newspaper articles, and seminar papers. Primary information
consists of both quantitative and qualitative
data that has been generated through interviews
and field surveys, with emphasis on qualitative data
that may shed light on the often hidden aspects of trafficking
for sexual exploitation.
A Rapid Assessment is a sequenced research
process, with one set of information feeding into the
next research activity. Cross-checking has taken place
continuously, through interviews and discussions, and
in cases of discrepancies, more information has been
sought in order to verify it through a process of triangulation.
In some such cases, repeat interviews were
conducted.
A six member research team composed of two
men and four women were given a seven-day intensive
training course on such issues as RA methodology,
definitions of trafficking, socio-economic and
political situation of the study sites and ethical issues
when doing research with children. The individual
questionnaire was pre-tested twice in Kathmandu, with
the support of three women who had been trafficked
for sexual exploitation. Other resource persons include
experts from Central Department of Population Studies,
Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre
(CWIN), Harvard University, ILO/IPEC, and the
Nepal police also provided feedback in the individual
structured questionnaire.
2.2 Target Population
The populations targeted for investigation were
vulnerable girls and girls and women who had been
trafficked for sexual exploitation, as well as those
engaged in prostitution in Nepal. In this study, the
respondents have been classified as follows:
I. The group of vulnerable girls (not yet trafficked)
is comprised of girls below the age of 18
(N=100). These were identified through the snowballing
method during the first round of interviews with
NGOs and other key informants. Vulnerability, as
defined in the box below, was used as the criteria for
selection.
Vulnerability
Immediate family environment
• Fragile family situation (alcoholism, unemployment,
sexual abuse, domestic violence)
• Poverty and very low income
• Children not enrolled in school
• Sisters already trafficked
• Illness among parents
The community
• Wrong perceptions about the destinations
perpetually reproduced through trafficking
networks
• Anecdotal evidence of school teachers, politicians
being involved in trafficking
• Abusive school teacher
• Neighbours already trafficked
• No employment opportunity for adolescents
II. The group of girls trafficked for sexual exploitation
inside Nepal is comprised of girls under 18
years of age involved in commercial sexual exploitation
in hotels, restaurants and roadside sheds, etc when
interviewed (N=13).
III. The final target group consists of returnees,
i.e. of trafficked girls both under and above 18 years
(but who were trafficked when they were below 18
years of age), who are currently living in rehabilitation
centres or who have already been reintegrated
into their families, communities, and/or society at large
(49 + 11 + 12 = N= 72). In this study, emphasis has
been given to girls in rehabilitation centres (i.e. rehabilitated
girls, N=49). Yet, the category of returnees
further includes trafficked girls who have been rein-
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