Undercover operations by the Kathmandu Justice Hub identified four girls working at an ayurvedic spa as sex workers, with similar activities occurring at a nearby branch of the same spa. Based on this information, a rescue was conducted of the four girls, two of whom were minors. As happens with so many trafficking victims, these four girls were seeking work to support their poor families and had been lured by promises of well-paying jobs and good working conditions in the city. They ended up working at the two spas in small, cramped rooms where customers would come for sex under the guise of receiving massages. The girls were forced to engage in sexual activities with an average of five customers a day, starting at 10:00 AM and sometimes lasting until midnight, with no relief even on weekends. In addition, the girls were paid a fraction of the promised income, which was insufficient to support their families.
All of the survivors are now recovering at a shelter home and a criminal complaint has been registered against all the perpetrators.
