SWASA’s campaign in Nepal began in 2019. From the very beginning, the campaign has been community-centered, organizing sex workers at the local level and facilitating their capacity building to raise issues related to education, health, worker’s rights, and overall human rights. In addition, the campaign has been strengthening leadership among sex workers, amplifying voices against harmful traditional practices, and building alliances with civil society organizations and human rights groups working on related issues.

The campaign also focuses on improving access to health services for sex workers, enhancing healthcare for people living with HIV, and ensuring access to justice. It has been advocating for the decriminalization of sex work by recognizing that sex work is work, while also pushing for changes in discriminatory laws and policies. For this, it engages in evidence-based policy advocacy with all three level of government as well as with National and International commissions and institutions/treaty bodies.

To achieve the vision of the SWASA campaign, SWASA Nepal, Jagriti Mahila Mahasangh, Nari Chetana Samaj Nepal, and other community-based organizations (CBOs) under Jagriti Mahila Mahasangh have been carrying out various programs in Nepal.

SWASA Nepal has been facilitating the empowerment and leadership development of 17 community-based organizations across 15 districts in six provinces. Similarly, Jagriti Mahila Mahasangh has been strengthening networks and advocating for the rights of sex workers, while Nari Chetana Samaj Nepal has been conducting research on the situation of sex workers and working to improve access to health rights.

Under the Sex Workers and Allies South Asia (SWASA), LOOM Nepal has been documenting the history of the sex workers’ rights movement. Also in collaboration with Tarangini Foundation, Women for Women Forum, WOREC Nepal, Nepal Mahila Ekata Samaj, and Change Action Nepal, SWASA has also been advancing the right-to-work campaign. Likewise, in partnership with the National Alliance of Women Human Rights Defenders, SWASA has been organizing rallies and sit-in protests for human rights and social justice, creating pressure at the policy level.

By expanding coordination with AATWIN, SWASA has actively participated in programs and rallies against human trafficking. Through this collaboration, it has been made clear that sex workers are not involved in human trafficking; rather, they are the first line of resistance, working against it and raising their voices.

Currently, the SWASA campaign engages nearly 100,000 sex workers across Nepal.