Adolescent girls’ experiences of cross-border and international migration in the adult entertainment sector in Nepal

Human trafficking is a global issue and continues to be a challenge in Nepal. According to the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal (NHRC) report (2019), nearly 1.5 million Nepalis are at risk of being trafficked. Around 35,000 people were trafficked in 2018/19 to work in different sectors, including the adult entertainment sector (AES) (ibid). While work in the AES does not necessarily always involve commercial sex work (CSW), a large part of it is related to CSW, either directly or as a space to link the client and the sex worker. Recent reports found that people also pay intermediaries to be smuggled to other countries and to work in sectors of their choice (SaMi, 2018). The proliferation of AES activities in Nepal, the country’s linkages to the global AES market and the growing use of technology seem to have increased the international migration of Nepali women and girls who voluntarily travel to work in the AES.

In this brief, we analyse the following:

• Linkages between the AES in Nepal and India.
• Girls’ aspirations to work in the international AES.
• Factors that drive these aspirations.
• The process of recruitment, financing migration into the international AES from the AES in Nepal and the migration process.

We also discuss the cross-border and the international migration of adolescents from Nepal to work in the AES. While in the broader AGES study we explored the perceptions and attitudes of both adolescent girls and boys, in this brief we focus on adolescent girls, since the international and cross border dynamics primarily concern them.

Suggested citation

Ghimire, A. and Samuels, F. (2020) ‘Adolescent girls’ experiences of cross-border and international migration in the adult entertainment sector in Nepal.’ Policy Brief. London: Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence. (https://www.gage.odi.org/publication/adolescent-girls-experiences-of-cross-border-and-international-migration-in-the-adult-entertainment-sector-in-nepal/)