Dealing with hidden issues :social rejection experienced by trafficked women in Nepal

Abstract

The Trafficking of Nepalese women to various parts of India for sexual purposes has a long history and is an extremely sensitive issue. Despite the focus by non governmental organisations and various plans being formulated by the Nepalese government to ameliorate the problem of trafficking of women, the situation of returnee trafficked women is largely unknown. Analysis of the lived experiences of Nepalese trafficked women shows that trafficking is linked with gender, migration, poverty, work, sex, money, power and violence. Women may be able to escape trafficking physically; however legal and social labelling of women continues to affect all aspects of their lives. These labels are linked with the women’s perceived sexuality and build on sexual trauma and violence the women encounter in trafficking. After leaving trafficking settings these processes of social labelling often negatively characterise women as ‘bad women’, as morally and socially degraded and/or as a criminals responsible for HIV/AIDS transmission. Trafficked women are eventually blamed for bringing ‘shame’ to their families and society at large. These consequences are not desirable, but are imposed by Nepalese society, and contribute to various forms of samajik bahiskar (social rejection) enforced on women on their return disqualifying them from achieving the formal citizenship that they are entitled to. This samajik bahiskar sets trafficked women apart from other women and prevents them taking part in religious ceremonies within the family and communities; setting up businesses and cooperatives; accessing services and resources for example health, education, daily wages and legal assistance, and receiving skills training. This study examines the processes and consequences of samajik bahiskar experienced by trafficked women in Nepal and how these processes interact with the socio-cultural context of Nepal from the perspectives of trafficked women who have returned from various trafficking settings in Nepal and India. This study also explores the contexts in which women are stigmatised, labels are attributed to them, samajik bahiskar is constructed, the consequences are experienced and tactics and strategies employed by trafficked to resist samajik bahiskar in the cultural context that women have returned to.