Nepal is a small Himalayan Kingdom sandwiched between two huge nations, India in South and China in North. Around 5,000 - 7,000 girls are trafficked to India annually by pimps with false assurances of lucrative employment and marriages. At present, around 200,000 Nepalese girls are forced to work in the Indian sex industry. Girls who manage to escape from this flesh trade and return to Nepal may not be accepted to their community and take shelters in non-government organizations like Maiti Nepal. In 1998 - 1999, 141 girls repatriated from India took shelter in Maiti Nepal and undertook some skill-oriented training. Out of these girls, 130 were investigated for HIV, VDRL and HBsAg. 36%(47) of these trafficked girls were positive for HIV, 22 % (28) were positive for VDRL and 9 %( 12) were positive for HBsAg. 17% of these girls were suffering from multiple diseases like HIV/AIDS, Syphilis and Hepatitis B. Though this study is a very limited study, but it shows that HIV/AIDS is a major health problem in trafficked girls in Nepal.
Keywords: AEGIS, HIV, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Prostitution, Nepal, Health Education, India, Syphilis, Health, China, Female, Economics, AIDS 000709
LbPeA7023
