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Central Nepal

Hotspot operations: August 2015 – Mid 2021

The central Nepal hotspot was established in August 2015 to bring an end to the issue of internal trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in Kathmandu’s adult entertainment sector (AES). When the hotspot was launched, research conducted by Terre des hommes estimated between 11,000 and 13,000 women and girls were working in the AES, with up to a third of the sector’s workers estimated to be children.

The hotspot worked with 14 local NGO partners to implement a comprehensive strategy targeting 1. minors and their communities 2. the government and 3. the owners/managers and customers who drive the demand.

Building on the work of local organisations working with AES workers and vulnerable communities, the Freedom Fund’s hotspot model brought significant new resources and technical assistance to frontline partners and invested in a wide-ranging research agenda to build the evidence base and strengthen programming.

The Freedom Fund took the decision to exit the hotspot in 2019. This was on the basis that significant progress had been made and new donors attracted to work on the issue, enabling our focus to shift to other areas of greater need. In December 2020, we reached the end of our managed phase-out period which prepared partners for our exit and closed the central Nepal hotspot program – the first Freedom Fund hotspot to complete a full program cycle.

In total, our partners provided social and legal services to 24,673 individuals, which directly contributed to 2,258 children and adults leaving situations of exploitation in Kathmandu’s adult entertainment industry. The program also supported 2,347 at risk children to attend school and enabled 760 individuals to find an alternative livelihood by starting a micro-enterprise or job placement, a vital component in the pathway to a life outside of the adult entertainment sector.

Our impact as of the end of 2020

LIVES IMPACTED 49,169
NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIBERATED 2,258
AT-RISK CHILDREN IN SCHOOL 2,347
COST PER PERSON $97
Total Invested$5.2m

Metric

Total

Lives Impacted

Number of active, regular participants of programs supported by the Freedom Fund. Includes members of community vigilance committees, self-help groups, individuals rescued from slavery, and those given educational, psychosocial or income generation services. Excludes those provided with one-time information.

49,169

Total Invested

Number of active, regular participants of programs supported by the Freedom Fund. Includes members of community vigilance committees, self-help groups, individuals rescued from slavery, and those given educational, psychosocial or income generation services. Excludes those provided with one-time information.

$5.2m

Cost per person

Average cost of community interventions per active, regular participant. Excludes grants made to partners working indirectly, e.g. at international policy level or for research and evaluation purposes. Excludes grants made for research and evaluation purposes.

$97

Victims liberated

Number of people liberated from any form of slavery, be it through gradual change of circumstance or shorter “rescue event”. The Freedom Fund’s approach is to only support liberations where services for survivor recovery are provided. We formalised this policy with partners in July 2016. Prior to this date a small proportion of reported liberations may not have included follow-up support.

Survivor recovery services are provided (by Freedom Fund partner or other agency) to ensure the individual can resettle with their family or independently, and can access socio-economic and legal assistance to ensure their freedom can be sustained.

2,258

Community freedom groups supported

Number of active, local groups, including community vigilance committees and self-help savings and loans groups, formed or supported by Freedom Fund partners.

870

At-risk children in school

Number of previously out-of-school children in slavery-affected communities now enrolled in formal or informal education as a result of Freedom Fund support.

2,347

Graduates of vocational training

Number of slavery survivors or highly vulnerable individuals completing vocational training courses provided or referred by Freedom Fund partners.

1,106

Micro-enterprises started

Number of slavery survivors or highly vulnerable individuals who have started micro-enterprises or gained a new form of income as a result of Freedom Fund support.

760

Individuals accessing social & legal services

Number of individuals provided with social and legal services by Freedom Fund partners. These services help slavery survivors recover from mental trauma as well as provide at-risk individuals with legal protection and options for recourse.

24,673

Individuals with new access to gov't services

Number of people supported by our partners who gain new access to government entitlements such as employment rights, school places, pensions, compensation payments, ID cards, and land rights.

228

Legal cases assisted

Number of individual legal cases that our partners provide any kind of support to, including advice, testimony, direct litigation, and witness protection.

356

Arrests

Number of arrests of traffickers and slaveholders in which one or more Freedom Fund partners played a key supporting role.

179

Convictions

Number of convictions of traffickers and slaveholders in which one or more Freedom Fund partners played a key supporting role.

57

Changes in public policy

Number of changes to public policy attributable in part to Freedom Fund partners.

11

Media stories

Number of media stories about slavery and trafficking that can be attributed to the Freedom Fund or its partners’ efforts to generate attention to the issue.

426