PROSTITUTION
Trafficking
Economic structures often, if not always, have an important influence over peoples morals and ethics. No where else is this more apparent than in Nepal, where the problems of economy contribute to the exploitation of and violence inflicted upon girls and women in the sex-trade. Girls, some as young as 9 years old in one report, are lured or even kidnappedfrom Nepal to find a life of slavery in the brothels of India.
Here they can be forced to work up to twelvehours or more a daywith little or
no financial support except from tips they receive from clients. According to
reports read by CoMiDa the sum compares to 2-3 SEK (just over 25 cents) per
client. If they refuse to have sex they get beaten with bottles or sticks,
likewise if they donīt earn enough money. They are subjected to psychological
abuse as well as being constantly under surveillance, given no days offand of
course run extreme risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or other STDīs.
Corruption
Girl trafficking and prostitution are illegal in Nepal, but still the
sex-market is growing, which obviously must mean that it is able to penetrate
all levels of society, including the police and judicial system.
The sex-market is said to be receiving protection from higher levels. 35% of all the sexual offenses reported are linked to the police or political figures. The police is also said to passively accept the situation of the sex-market or to co-operate with the controllers of the market by receiving bribes and profits. the bribes can vary from 5 SEK (something like 60 cents) to daily payments of 12 to 50 SEK (1,50 to 6,25 US-Dollars) to individual policemen according to rank.
Brothel owners are said to pay 50 000 - 200 000 Rs (25 000 - 100 000 SEK or 3125 - 12 500 US-Dollars)to police authorities to open a new brothel. On top of that they have a monthly payment of 300 - 500 Rs (150 - 250 SEK or 19 - 32 US-Dollars) for each compound of ten girls. For every purchase of new girls the brothel owner has to inform the police for "registration", which costs another 2 500 -12 500 SEK or 310 - 1565 dollars. If the girl is a minor, they pay a fine of 250-500 SEK (31 - 63 dollars) to receive false documents so that she can work.
The entire sum of bribes and backhanders could be a contributing factor to the
brutality of the sex industry. The burden of the payments does not fall on to
the brothel owners however, it is the prostitutes who have to pay off this sum,
with interrest of 10%, which means working for 5 - 6 years without wage.
Religious and Cultural Influence
Working against prostitution in Nepal can be difficult and a delicate area
because of the acceptance of it in Hindu religious traditions such as the
institution of Devaki. This involves young girls being sold, sometimes even
before being born, as sacrifice to deities/gods. The girls, obviously, have no
say and after they are sold they have no financial support, education or skills
to rely upon. This inevitably leads to the girls selling the only thing they
have to offer, themselves, as a means of survival.
These girls are known as Deuki but there are also another group of women known as the Badi.
The Badi were a group of travelling entertainers who sang, danced and told stories of great Hindu epics in the 14th century. In return for the support of the rulers and high caste landlords, at that time, they entertained and provided them with sex. As a result of laws changing as well as overthrows of certain regimes the Badi lost their economic support and were unable to continue their patronage of Badi.
To earn a living they moved (from 1950) into areas such as the cities of Tulsipur, Ghorani, Rajaput, Nepalgunj as well as others and took up prostitution because of the growing sex industryīs demands. They are considered the lowest caste and therefore are paid less by customers, are not able to go to school and are excluded from other social, religious and economic activities.