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Changing Patterns of Commercial Sex Work Amongst Adolescent Girls in Nepal: The Role of Technology

Author

Listed:
  • Anita Ghimire

    (Nepal Institute for Social and Environmental Research)

  • Fiona Samuels

    (Overseas Development Institute)

  • Sarmila Mainali

    (Nepal Institute for Social and Environmental Research)

Abstract

The introduction of technology, particularly mobile phones, in the mediation of commercial sex work (CSW) has meant that sex work is expanding from traditional venue based (such as through hotels and massage parlors) work to freelance sex work. It has also changed the face-to-face negotiation in commercial sex work to negotiations mediated online or by phone. Apart from a few programmes, interventions largely use establishments as entry points for their programming and are therefore excluding many girls and women who engage in CSW through personal contacts or facilitated by social media. This article is based on a two-year qualitative study in four districts of Nepal, in Delhi (India), and the Indo-Nepal border in eastern Nepal. It gives a short overview of the girls and their life in the adult entertainment sector (AES), which is the main entry point for CSW, and discusses how technology is increasingly used to mediate CSW. Based on our findings, which show that technology is displacing establishment-based CSW in Nepal, we argue that to ensure that we do not leave girls behind, programmes and interventions targeting venues where girls engage in CSW should re-consider their strategies for reaching girls working in the AES.

Suggested Citation

  • Anita Ghimire & Fiona Samuels & Sarmila Mainali, 2021. "Changing Patterns of Commercial Sex Work Amongst Adolescent Girls in Nepal: The Role of Technology," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(5), pages 1390-1408, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:33:y:2021:i:5:d:10.1057_s41287-021-00455-4
    DOI: 10.1057/s41287-021-00455-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Teela Sanders & Laura Connelly & Laura Jarvis King, 2016. "On Our Own Terms: The Working Conditions of Internet-Based Sex Workers in the UK," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 21(4), pages 133-146, November.
    2. Cunningham, Scott & Kendall, Todd D., 2011. "Prostitution 2.0: The changing face of sex work," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 273-287, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sarah Baird & Laura Camfield & Ashraful Haque & Nicola Jones & Anas Masri & Kate Pincock & Mahesh C. Puri, 2021. "No One Left Behind: Using Mixed-Methods Research to Identify and Learn from Socially Marginalised Adolescents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(5), pages 1163-1188, October.

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