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

PhD ThesisThe 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.Faculty of Humanities and Social Science (HaSS)Research Studentship: Faculty of Humanities and Social Science (HaSS)International Postgraduate Scholarship: School of Geography, Politics and Sociology Grant: Developing Areas Research Network DARN Scholarship: AL Charitable Trust, University of Essex Grant: Oxfam GB, Fees

Post-trafficking bordering practices : perverse co-production, marking and stretching borders

The research for this paper was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council – ESRC Res-062-23-1490: ‘Post Trafficking in Nepal: Sexuality and Citizenship in Livelihood Strategies’.This paper highlights the significance of post-trafficking scenarios for understanding bordering practices in political geography. In so doing, it addresses two significant research gaps: the lack of attention to trafficking in geography and the failure of wider interdisciplinary debates to engage with post-trafficking specifically. While extensive research in political geography has addressed the related experiences of refugees, asylum seekers and 'illegals', much of this work has centred on policies, processes and practices that aim to keep 'unwanted strangers out'. By contrast, very little research has addressed how the border is configured for and by those who are crossing-back over; those who are 'returning home', in this case from diverse trafficking situations. The paper draws on recent empirical research on post-trafficking citizenship and livelihoods in Nepal which examined how women returning from trafficking situations deal with stigma and marginalisation. Our analysis illuminates how bordering practices circumscribe and shape women's lives in powerful ways as they seek to (re)establish a sense of belonging and respect. We examine the interplay of state and non-state actors (national and transnational) in structuring mobility and anti-trafficking advocacy through a range of bordering practices and explore how the border is (co-)produced by varied actors at different border sites. This includes women returning from diverse trafficking situations, who invoke the border to argue that they are 'not as trafficked' as other women, and others who perform the border differently as agents for trafficking prevention.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Co-producing a post-trafficking agenda : collaborating on transforming citizenship in Nepal

This article discusses how a new agenda on post-trafficking is gaining momentum through academic and activist anti-trafficking collaborations focused on co-producing knowledge with women who have returned from trafficking situations. Co-production of this nature is important as the issues raised by post-trafficking scenarios are largely ignored in anti-trafficking strategies, and the stigmatisation and poverty which women in these circumstances encounter means they rarely have a voice in policy-making. Drawing on research in Nepal, we present four types of co-produced data around transforming citizenship post-trafficking, and reflect on the strategies for generating and using them for advocacy purposes.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Economics of production and marketing of wheat in Rupandehi district of Nepal

Wheat is the third most important cereal crop of Nepal after rice and maize in terms of area. The study on profitability and marketing of wheat was conducted in the Rupandehi district in 2019. The household survey, focus group discussion, interview with the individual market actors such as input suppliers, producers, collectors, wholesalers, millers, and retailers in selected clusters was carried out. The study showed that the Benefit-Cost Ratio of wheat production (BCR) was 1.87. The marketing margins at three different levels of marketing farm-wholesale, wholesale-retail, and farm-retail were also analyzed. The farm-retail marketing margin was found highest (31.42%) and the farm-wholesale marketing margins were less (15.78%). The producers’ share in consumer price was 68.5% and the total gross margin was 56.36%.  This showed if value-added activities are absent in the chain, the shorter chain can provide a higher margin to farmers by bypassing the intermediaries

Issues in rice marketing system: a case of central terai

This study was conducted to understand the challenges and prospects of ricemarketing by taking case of central Nepal. Two focus group discussionsalong with eight key informants’ interviewswere conductedinBara and Parsa districts of Nepal.Also, secondary information was collected by reviewing the related literatures.The study revealed that the consumer price of rice is almost double than the farm gate price, possibly due to the presence of several intermediaries in different nodes of the supply chain.Key market actors like large collectors, millers and wholesalers have a dominating role in price negotiation and supply of rice in the market. The rice value chain is not strong enough, which might be due to poor vertical and horizontal as well as backward and forward linkages among the key players. The demand of fine and aromatic rice is gradually increasing due to changing food habits of the consumers and their access to purchasing capacity as well.The high yielding short duration varieties of fine and aromatic rice need to be identified and developed to meet the growing demand of consumers.In addition, to boost productivity and profitability of rice, a better investment climate, risk sharing mechanism and strengthened value chain with efficient research and extension services are required

Morpho-physiological and biochemical response of rice (Oryza sativa L.) to drought stress: A review

Global food shortages are caused mainly by drought, the primary driver of yield loss in agriculture worldwide. Drought stress negatively impacts the physiological and morphological characteristics of rice (Oryza sativa L.), limiting the plant productivity and hence the economy of global rice production. Physiological changes due to drought stress in rice include constrained cell division and elongation, stomatal closure, loss of turgor adjustment, reduced photosynthesis, and lower yields. Morphological changes include inhibition of seed germination, reduced tillers, early maturity, and reduced biomass. In addition, drought stress leads to a metabolic alteration by increasing the buildup of reactive oxygen species, reactive stress metabolites, antioxidative enzymes, and abscisic acid. Rice tends to combat drought through three major phenomena; tolerance, avoidance, and escape. Several mitigation techniques are introduced and adapted to combat drought stress which includes choosing drought-tolerant cultivars, planting early types, maintaining adequate moisture levels, conventional breeding, molecular maintenance, and creating variants with high-yielding characteristics. This review attempts to evaluate the various morpho-physiological responses of the rice plant to drought, along with drought stress reduction techniques

Behavioural science principles for scaling-up zero tillage wheat and maize in the Eastern Terai region of Nepal

Farmers have a set of convictions and tend to do what their forefathers had practiced. By identifying their beliefs and designing appropriate ways of upscaling to convince them of new and improved practices, we can improve the adoption of zero tillage technology for maize and wheat. Small and fragmented landholdings that resulted from the cultural system of distributing land to heirs are diverse in their cropping requirements. Moreover, farmers are risk-averse and do not believe easily in new technologies. Traditional extension approaches have not been effective in upscaling these technologies. A new way of thinking based on behavioural science can provide some insights and guidelines for improving the effectiveness of technology adoption. Understanding farmers' socioeconomic circumstances and their decision-making system at the household and society level can help in designing upscaling approaches. Approaches such as capitalising on social bonding, use of established technology leaders, and use of farmers' organizations can improve adoption. Recommended strategies include encouraging a comprehensive contracting system of service provision, using active community influential local leaders in technology expansion, taking group and social identity approaches in technology extension, and capacity building programs for service providers/operators and farmers to help raise confidence and to remove perceived barriers to technology adoption. &nbsp

Women and citizenship post-trafficking : the case of Nepal

The research for this paper was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council – ESRC Res-062-23-1490: ‘Post Trafficking in Nepal: Sexuality and Citizenship in Livelihood Strategies’. Diane Richardson would like to acknowledge the support provided by the award of a Leverhulme TrustMajor Research Fellowship, ‘Transforming Citizenship: Sexuality, Gender and Citizenship Struggles’ [award MRF-2012-106].This article analyses the relationship between gender, sexuality and citizenship embedded in models of citizenship in the Global South, specifically in South Asia, and the meanings associated with having - or not having - citizenship. It does this through an examination of women's access to citizenship in Nepal in the context of the construction of the emergent nation state in the 'new' Nepal 'post-conflict'. Our analysis explores gendered and sexualized constructions of citizenship in this context through a specific focus on women who have experienced trafficking, and are beginning to organize around rights to sustainable livelihoods and actively lobby for changes in citizenship rules which discriminate against women. Building from this, in the final section we consider important implications of this analysis of post-trafficking experiences for debates about gender, sexuality and citizenship more broadly.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe