A Situational Analysis of Child Sex Tourism in Nepal (Kathmandu ...

parlours that the tourists get supplies of any kind of people they want; with variety of
range in age, sex and racial background. Some women in the massage parlour also see
their luck through the cards; they believe that card determines the kind of customers that
they will get on that day – European, South East Asian, South Asian, Nepali. These
centres also use children for this kind of work.
Children are easily attracted to the tourists. And there is a tendency of being very
attached to them. Children work for/with tourists in the hotel to sell goods and as porters.
Children usually shared their good experiences with the tourist and the help that they
have received from tourists. They learn foreign languages and English from the tourists
Children find it very difficult to share the negative experiences. We have found that three
girls were kept in the hotel room by a foreigner but even they did not share anything. It is
very easy for street children to get involved with the tourist. Due to the increase of drug
abuse among street children, they are in greater need of money.
Some parents have made informal complaints. But it is not possible to check each and
every guesthouse and moreover children do not complain because of the help that the
tourists give them.
Children coming in the Women’s Cell have shared that they have gone to different place
both inside and outside Kathmandu Valley with the tourists. They usually go trekking
with tourists. The children seem to enjoy this as they have not complained about this.
They also get some money out of this. Both girls and boys are involved in these kinds of
activities. There are around 15-20 girls in the street who are in contact with the women’s
cell. They usually stay with their families, but are in the street. The age group ranges to
22 years. Many of them are involved in commercial sex work. Sometimes they even
come and share their stories in the women’s cell.
There is special tourist–police which deals with the tourist-related problems. The cases
that are usually registered here are the cases of theft of different electronics like video
camera, camera etc. We think that they usually sell it away and then report the case of
theft so that they get the insurances from their own countries. The most frequent reported
incidences are of theft than any other.
Child Sex Tourism in Nepal has started but is not very prominent. There are no strict
laws in Nepal; therefore it is very easy to get away with it. Even if they are arrested, they
can get released in the bail of Rs.500 – 30,000. Most of the parents also do not know;
they think that they are helping.
Few years back, with the help of CWIN, we were able to arrest many foreigners who had
been exploiting the children sexually. One of the Australian tourists had been keeping
some children in the children’s home called “helping hand”. There was another incidence
where a foreigner had children in his hotel room. He had kept the children saying that
they will go for the computer course.
34 A Situational Analysis of Child Sex Tourism in Nepal