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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Michele R. Decker, MPH¹, Jhumka Gupta, MPH¹, Ayonija Maheshwari, MD, MPH², Anita Raj, PhD³, and Jay G. Silverman, PhD¹. (1) Division of Public Health Practice/Department of Society, Human Development & Health, Harvard University, 677 Huntington Ave, Kresge 705, Boston, MA 02115, 617-43205461, mdecker@hsph.harvard.edu, (2) Yale University School of Medicine, 367 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 21009, (3) Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., T2W, Boston, MA 02118

Background/Objectives: Sex trafficking, recognized by the United Nations as a major human rights violation disproportionately affecting women and girls in Asia, is widely thought to be particularly prevalent in Nepal. An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 Nepali women and girls are trafficked for sex work each year, with the majority being sent to India. Despite these concerning high numbers, and evidence indicating increased rates of heath concerns among women in the sex industry, little research has been conducted to systematically examine 1) the mechanisms for sex trafficking in Nepal, and 2) the health concerns among Nepali women and girls who have been rescued from sex trafficking. The current report offers preliminary results from a record review to inform these issues.

Methods: Case and medical records from approximately 400 sex trafficked Nepali women and girls rescued from brothels and repatriated to Maiti Nepal, the largest NGO in Nepal working to rehabilitate sex trafficking victims from this region, were reviewed for the purpose of abstracting the following data: age, context, location and perpetrator(s) of trafficking, duration of sexual servitude, brothel conditions, and medical history including diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Relations of duration, age, and brothel conditions to medical health outcomes will be assessed.

Results/Discussion: Findings will be presented and discussed within the context of ongoing primary prevention work for sex trafficking; results are expected to provide guidance for such efforts as well as clarify health needs among rescued victims of sex trafficking.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe sex-trafficking mechanisms for a sample of rescued Nepali women and girls
• Describe health concerns among a sample of rescued Nepali women and girls, and relations with demographic factors
• Develop strategies to advance the state of knowledge concerning these issues

Keywords: STD, Sex Workers

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered