Voices from Nepal: Uncovering Human Trafficking through Comics Journalism

by Dan Archer

How can we better protect survivors? How can we learn from their stories without causing further harm? With a pen in one hand and watercolours in the other, graphic journalist Dan Archer embarks on an investigation into human trafficking and how comics can be used to empower survivors and raise awareness of human rights issues. Based on years of research and reporting, the book holds a mirror up to the ways that international and local NGOs study and combat trafficking, reflecting on both the positive and negative impacts they can have. Featuring interviews with trafficking survivors across Nepal, as well as former traffickers themselves, Archer dispels common misconceptions around labour trafficking, sex trafficking, organ trafficking, and more. Through a combination of live sketches, illustrated reportage, and visual testimonies, he champions the use of graphic journalism in human rights reporting and emphasizes the need for a survivor-centric approach to this work. The book features never-before-seen materials, including essays on storytelling and graphic journalism, notes on production, and further readings for those wanting to learn more. Carefully compiled and expressively illustrated, Voices from Nepal sheds light on an important issue while fostering a discussion about how we can improve the tools and methods we use to make change.

248 pages, Hardcover

Published September 6, 2024

Reviews

[Inma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voices from Nepal addresses an important and underreported subject, is informative and succeeds in showing that trafficking in Nepal is not a single, simple phenomenon, but a complex reality shaped by poverty, migration, gender, and structural inequality.

However, on a practical level, the print is often quite small, which makes reading difficult and interrupts the flow of the narrative. More substantively, while the book presents many victims’ stories, these accounts often feel fragmented and underdeveloped. The lack of depth prevents the reader from fully understanding the individuals behind the experiences, leaving many stories feeling incomplete.

The author positions himself as the main narrative thread, but this choice sometimes feels contradictory to the book’s stated aim of empowering marginalized voices. Instead of amplifying the victims’ perspectives, the journalist’s presence occasionally overshadows them, unintentionally reproducing the kind of disempowerment the author seeks to critique.

Additionally, the book’s overall message lacks clarity. It is not always evident whether the author’s primary goal is to analyze trafficking itself, critique NGOs, expose systemic problems within the anti-trafficking field, or reflect on journalistic practice. This ambiguity weakens the book’s argumentative coherence.

[Jessica Dunkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very impressed with a non-fiction graphic novel. Dives into the ways that journalism is how to best get the information out to ALL people in the best way. Enlightening stories.

[Vino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned about trafficking and all he different forms that exist in Nepal. This book really opened my eyes. Found some parts hard to read and it's done as as comics.