Prostitution in Nepal

Voluntary prostitution in Nepal is neither legal nor illegalThousands of sex workers work in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, and urban areas within Pokhara and Terai.There is no record of whether these workers voluntarily or involuntarily offer their services for money, but investigations have evidence of both within these areas. Sex workers can work anywhere from brothels to bars, in their homes, or on the streets. There are a number of massage parlors in Thamel, a tourist area of Kathmandu, where sex is also bought. Another form of prostitution is in cabin restaurants and dance bars where clients go and drink with girls. Afterwards, clients pick out a girl to go home with and pay her to have sexual encounters with them.

Although there are no laws in Nepal criminalizing sex work specifically, there are some laws that were enacted throughout the 1980s that criminalize trafficking within and outside of Nepal that are wrongfully used towards sex work. Many of these laws are sometimes interpreted to accuse sex workers as well, which comes from a lack of knowledge in the distinction between the sex trafficking scene and sex work. Sex work is a term used to refer to all aspects of the lawful and unlawful sex industries around the world. Some refer to sex work as prostitution. Over the past few years, however, there have been debates as to whether the term “prostitution” is the proper term to use. Prostitution is the act of selling sex, but it can also be “a moral judgment, by implying that individuals who sell sex are involved in a practice that is corrupt and so [they] are themselves unworthy.” The key to saying “sex work” is that it differentiates between the voluntary act of selling sex from sex trafficking and, again, takes out the moral bind that the term “prostitution” places on this work. Sex workers include men, women, and transgendered persons who offer sexual services in exchange for money. There are various forms of sex work, including physical and verbal forms. This distinction is one that is not truly understood; thus, many of the policies and laws enacted within Nepal against trafficking—many argue—should not be applied to sex work. Authorities and laws trying to stop true slavery—trafficking—get misapplied to sex workers, clients and others involved in the sex industry. Government policies

In 1986, the Traffic in Humans (Control) Act was passed in Nepal and was aimed at stopping trafficking in the form of prostitution. However, this act, like many others, proved to be ineffective, mainly due to the fact that the act was “largely aimed at criminalizing prostitution rather than curbing trafficking activities.”