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Children between 12 and 15 years old
in the Kathmandu Sex industry
2004
2008
2012
of planning and regulation, absence of quality control, and the
global economic downturn resulted in the closure or roll-back
of many workshops that employed young females who had
migrated from the countryside. Unable to generate income
in their home villages and unable to find remunerative
employment in the cities, many girls and women entered
commercial sexual exploitation.
A third factor influencing the rise of the sex industry is rapidlychanging
social norms. Today, young people in urban areas
Percentage of children between 12 and 15
Sources: ActionAid Nepal. (2004). Plight of Cabin Keepers. Kathmandu:
ActionAid Nepal; Shakti Samuha (2008). A Study on the Condition of Slavery
among Women and Girls Employed in the Restaurants and Massage Parlours of
Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu: Shakti Samuha.
migration to urban centres. The conflict exacerbated rural and
urban poverty, increasing the need and willingness of the poor
to enter employment that they would not have considered
before, such as prostitution. And the conflict resulted in the
death or out-migration of thousands of men and boys, creating
increased pressure upon girls and women to support
impoverished families – and many of these entered commercial
sexual exploitation due to lack of other opportunities. 31
The rise of the sex industry also accompanied the deterioration
of the carpet, garment and pashmina industries in Nepal. Lack
Are boys and men involved
in the entertainment industry
Few compared to girls and women. Male prostitution does
exist in the Kathmandu Valley, but customers are primarily
contacted in public areas such as parks or are referred to
male sex workers through peers and pimps. A few bars cater
to males who have sex with males (MSMs), out of which
some young adult prostitutes solicit customers. However,
many boys, particularly children in a street situation, are
subject to non-commercial sexual abuse, primarily by local
males. As well, MSMs, both those who dress in male attire
and those who dress in female attire, are subject to
considerable police harassment, as are the girls and women
of the entertainment industry.
2010 Terre des hommes www.tdh.ch 27