ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION HIV Prevalence and Predictors of Infection in Sex-Trafficked Nepalese Girls and Women

TRAFFICKING ACROSS OR WITHINnational borders for purposesof sexual exploitation includ-ing forced prostitution, ie, sex trafficking, is recognized as a major gender-based human rights violation with significant individual and public health consequences1,2 and is increas-ingly discussed as a potentially critical mechanism in the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) across developing nations.2-8 Approximately 80 % of the estimated 600 000 to 800 000 individuals trafficked annu-ally are girls and women.2 An estimated 150 000 girls and women are trafficked each year within and across the countries of South Asia.