‘Sahas: Mahila Bechbikhan, Bahishkar ra Pratikar’, written by sociologist Meena Paudel, was launched during the ‘Sahas Sambad’ event at the Nepal Academy on Friday.

At the event, Professor Bindu Pokharel, former head of the Department of Gender Studies at Tribhuvan University, said, “The way Paudel has studied and researched trafficking and exclusion of women in Nepal is praiseworthy.” She added that patriarchal structures—social, economic, and political—have contributed to the marginalisation of women in Nepal.

Anthropologist Suresh Dhakal said that ‘Sahas’ presents complex and nuanced issues of trafficking and exclusion in a simplified and theoretical manner.

The book, published by Kitab Publishers, highlights gender-based, socio-cultural, legal, and economic violence through the lived experiences of young women who have faced trafficking.

This is Paudel’s first book-length work in Nepali. Originally based on her PhD research, the book was first published in English in 2011 titled, ‘Dealing with Hidden Issues: Social Rejection Experienced by Trafficked Women in Nepal’.

Paudel holds a Master’s degree in Anthropology from Tribhuvan University and a PhD from the UK focused on the interconnections between human trafficking, women’s sexuality, and social exclusion.