KATHMANDU, Sept 12: In recent times, young girls can often be seen cleaning and washing dishes in hotels, restaurants and eateries in the Kathmandu Valley. There is also a growing concern that some individuals take advantage of the situation and exploit these girls for sexual offenses. These girls are often forced to leave school and are lured into engaging in sexual activities. Such incidents in our society are gradually increasing. Such girls are being abused in the eateries and hotels within the Valley.
Such incidents of violence against girls are also occurring due to the financial burden of their families. They have become victims of sexual violence including sexual exploitation. Additionally, discrimination based on caste and gender is more affected by poverty.
Girls in search of economic opportunities have become tools for sexual exploitation for men. A girl was used to fulfill the sexual desire of customers who came to a restaurant in Satdobato, Lalitpur. The girl, who had been living with her maternal uncle's family since early childhood due to a rift between her parents, was deeply attached to her maternal grandparents, who were like parents to her.
She loved her maternal grandfather and grandmother more than her parents. She left school while studying in class 2, and started to take responsibility for the household due to the poor financial condition of her family.
Similarly, she was thinking of getting a job outside the household. The 16-year-old girl told the Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau (AHTB) that her aim was to care for her elderly grandparents. She had come to Kathmandu with hopes of improving the financial condition of her family but unfortunately became a victim of sexual exploitation.
The 16-year-old victim said, “In search of work, I used to work in various places such as labor, cleaning other people’s houses, and painting furniture. However, I got an opportunity to work at a restaurant through an elder sister.”
Poverty: A Multidimensional Problem, Nepalese Context
She said that on July 27, a woman named Asmita, who lived in a nearby room, lured her with the promise of finding a job. Asmita had told her that the New Namaste Restaurant and Bar in Satdobato, Lalitpur, was searching for employees. Following that, Asmita took her to the restaurant and introduced her to the manager, Rajib Lama.
The owner Lama had told her, “Your duties here will include washing dishes and cleaning. I will pay you Rs 6000 per month.” The victim said that she started working there from last July 12 as she did not have to pay room rent and was provided the facility of food and accommodation.
She said, “They had a guesthouse along with the restaurant. I worked there for two or three weeks, cleaning and washing dishes.” Recalling what the owner Rajiv had said to her, she added, “Just washing dishes won’t improve your life. How much will you be able to send home? Instead, stay with the customers at the restaurant. By doing so, the customers might order more. During your stay, they might make physical contact with you, so do not hesitate about it. If they want to have physical relations with you, you can engage in that with them.”
The owner Lama had told her, “Other girls are also earning by doing similar work. They have made so much progress. If you make physical contact with the customers, I will keep half of the money that they give and give you the remaining money.”
She said that lama had told her that there is nothing wrong with having physical contact and that the pregnancy will be safe with the use of a temporary device. For a few days, the owner's advice about physical contact with the customers kept echoing in her mind. She said that the suggestion to have physical contact with a client and receive five hundred rupees while the operator would keep the rest of the money seemed acceptable to her.
She tears up remembering her old grandparents. She is troubled with the fact that she is burdened with the financial responsibilities which makes her think that she sold her body. She told AHTB that she decided to agree to the owner’s advice and started engaging in sexual activities from July 30/31. Gradually she had to engage in physical contact with five to six customers daily. She started earning more money through physical contact than her monthly salary day by day. She became habituated to eating and drinking with them, after which she would then go to the guest house as per the consumer’s wishes to make physical relations.
She said that Rajiv handled all the financial transactions with the customers. She said, “Rajib used to talk to all the customers for physical contact. The entire management of the restaurant was handled by Sharmila Katwal. They used to call customers who were interested in physical contact and send one of us into the room with them.”
She also said that there were two other young women like her. She said, “Rajib had to lure them as well. Rajiv had told us that they have collected half of their payment and would pay the remaining later. However, we were not given any additional money other than just Rs 500.”
In September, a police team deployed from the AHTB rescued three girls including her through an informant (person) who was being used as a sex worker by Rajib.
The victim girl has lodged a complaint at the AHTB for being forced into prostitution which is an act of human trafficking. She filed a complaint at the ATBH alleging that the owner Rajib, who lured her into prostitution, should be punished and she should be paid compensation as per the the Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act 2064.
Nepal has enacted laws to control sexual abuse against children.The Constitution of Nepal includes a provision that states, “No child shall be subjected to physical, mental, or any other form of torture in the home, school, or any other place or situation.”
Preventing girls from attending school and forcing them into child marriage exposes them to violence. In order to escape such violence, many girls in the rural areas leave their homes.
According to Gautam Mishra, Superintendent of Police (SP) of the AHTB, girls are often forced into sexual activities, due to family conflicts, domestic violence, and poor economic conditions. He also added that sexual exploitation is now occurring through online platforms as well.
According to him, there are many girls who are pressured to share intimate pictures, audios and videos online. Those who pressure or compel them into sending such intimate media include boyfriends-girlfriends, close friends and even strangers in some cases.
