key: cord-0845411-7uw8fpzg
authors: Shrestha, Bijaya; Adhikari, Bipin; Shrestha, Manash; Sringernyuang, Luechai
title: Kidney Sellers From a Village in Nepal: Protocol for an Ethnographic Study
date: 2022-02-24
journal: JMIR Res Protoc
DOI: 10.2196/29364
sha: 95280aab7691b1f38f9ec3a895a30a4279bb6592
doc_id: 845411
cord_uid: 7uw8fpzg

BACKGROUND: Kidney selling is a global phenomenon, with higher-income countries functioning as recipients and lower-income countries as donors, reflecting the gaps due to poverty and vulnerability. In recent years, an increasing number of residents in a village near the capital city of Nepal have been selling their kidneys; however, the factors embedded in the local social, cultural, political, and individual context driving kidney selling are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the drivers of kidney selling and its consequences in Hokse village in central Nepal, using ethnographic methods and multistakeholder consultations. METHODS: An ethnographic approach will be adopted along with in-depth interviews and key informant interviews among the residents and kidney sellers in the village. Relevant participants in the village will be selected purposively using a snowball approach. The number of participants will be predicated on the principles of data saturation. In addition, consultations with relevant stakeholders will be conducted at various levels, which will include authorities within and outside the village, and policymakers. All interviews will be conducted face to face, audio-recorded for transcription, and subjected to a thematic analysis. RESULTS: This study was approved by Mahidol University Central Institutional Review Board (MU-CIRB 2020/217.1808) in September 2020 and by Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC 716/2020 PhD) in January 2021. The fieldwork started in February 2021 and the data analysis was completed in September 2021. CONCLUSIONS: This study is expected to provide insight into the reasons underlying the practice of kidney selling based on the example of Hokse village, along with the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/29364

Ethnography (It will be carried out in the Hokse Bazar) Ethnography 

Profiles of organ traffickers and victims

Roles of fraud and document falsification

Knowledge of trafficking in persons among investigators, prosecutors, and judges

How do we increase awareness about the organ trafficking 8. Laws are in place

Any successful cooperation or achievements 10. Any collaboration with an international agency to track down the cases

Lacking information at your department to respond to trafficking in persons for organ removal

What special challenges are involved in prosecuting trafficking in persons cases?

Has your unit been able to meet these challenges? How? To what level of success?

What kinds of training, background knowledge, or resources should be made available to law enforcement, immigration officials, prosecutors, and judges to strengthen their response to trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal? 15. What are the key challenges in addressing trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal in the country or