Date of Award

Spring 2014

Degree Name

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Department

Political Science

Sponsor

Dr. Dan Chong

Committee Member

Dr. Ashley Kistler

Committee Member

Dr. Eren Tatari

Abstract

The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons for 2012 is prefaced with the overarching statement that “there are millions of trafficking in persons victims in the world” (UNODC 2012). The book Half the Sky considers sex trafficking “one of the fastest growing organized crimes” globally while also shedding light on the equally important issue of forced prostitution (Kristoff 2009). It would seem the creation of a global web promoting sexual exploitation is running smoothly today. This large scale issue has led to many worldwide and regional conferences, as well as the creation of laws condemning the practice of sexual exploitation on a global and local scale. There is an abundance of literature dealing with the problem of trafficking and more importantly how to stop it. However, there exists only a small amount of work that examines what happens after sexual exploitation has occurred. These surviving women do not simply disappear, and are in no way able to return to their previous lives. Instead, they must begin life again, now living with the stigma that society has attached to them, as well as the significant psychological trauma attached to their experiences. As women are the largest and most sexually exploited sector of the world population, the question arises: How are these women reintegrated and rehabilitated? Interestingly enough, the UN’s Global Report for 2012 only mentions the words rehabilitation and reintegration once in the entirety of its ninety-eight pages. Many governments and large international agencies do not directly handle this particular part of the trafficking process leaving it to Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) locally. Driven by this inattention to and lack of research on the topic at hand, I would thus like to focus my study on the aftermath of trafficking and sexual exploitation.

My work will specifically focus on Nepal which has been and continues to be a hub for trafficking and forced prostitution. As the second most corrupt country in South East Asia, complete with castes, poverty, and a cultural stigma against women’s rights, Nepal is a perfect breeding ground for rampant sexual exploitation (Pradeep, personal communication, April 11, 2013). Therefore, after categorizing existing literature into three technique dichotomies and what they mean within the larger context of international relations, I will focus on the question of What rehabilitation and reintegration techniques are most effective for survivors of sexual exploitation in Nepal? In order to successfully do this I will define these terms as I intend to use them in my work. Hopefully this piece of work can act as a basic framework which can be utilized for an in depth study of effective rehabilitation and reintegration facilities in Nepal in the future.

Rights Holder

Mackenna Bowles

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