INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Thousands of women working in entertainmentsector face exploitation
Kathmandu, August 31
Police have arrested a guest house owner for
allegedly raping and forcing one of his female employees into prostitution.
A special team deployed from Kalimati-based Metropolitan Police
Circle took Krishna Ghising, 41, of Chitwan into custody yesterday
Ghising, the owner of Annapurna Guest House in Kalanki, had raped an 18-year-old girl, who worked at his guest house
He had also coerced her to have sex with clients of the guest house.
Acting on a tip-off that Ghising had subjected the teenager to sexual
exploitation, police raided the guest house and held him for investigation and legal action
Officials said he would be produced before Kathmandu District Court tomorrow, seeking judicial remand.
A report on ‘Status of Women and
Children Working in Entertainment and Hospitality Sector& released recently by the National Human Rights Commission had stated that nearly
41 per cent of females working in entertainment and hospitality sector ended up in forced labour
Entertainment and hospitality sector includes dohorisanjh, rodhighar, dance bar, discotheque, massage parlour and cabin restaurants, where
people go for relaxation, food and liquor
There are around 3,500 such facilities throughout the country and only half of them have been registered.
Nearly 60,000 people, mostly
females, are working in this sector concentrated in urban areas such as Kathmandu valley, Pokhara, Narayanghat, Itahari and Dharan
The entrepreneurs concerned were imposing forced labour, either deliberately or inadvertently.
Twenty per cent females have been victims of
sexual exploitation and human trafficking in this sector
&When women and girls are forced or coerced into sexual exploitation, agencies responsible for crime investigation and prosecution pay no
heed to the plight of victims
Instead, the victims of sexual exploitation are framed as culprits to grant impunity to the entrepreneurs,& said the report.
Though Nepal
lacks specific law related to entertainment and hospitality sector, perpetrators can be booked under existing Civil and Criminal Code,
Children Act and Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act
The report said there wasn&t adequate coordination and collaboration among labour office, district administration office, police and office
of district attorney to put an end to sexual exploitation of workers by promoting decent labour in this sector.
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arrested for raping teenage employee appeared first on The Himalayan Times.
