Caring For CSWs
IT IS an open secret that major towns of Nepal, including Kathmandu, see a thriving
commercial sex. They may not be very visible to the general population, but commercial sex
workers (CSWs) are a reality that Nepalese society cannot just ignore. The issue of
commercial sex has many implications: legal, moral, social and so on. Though at one time,
this issue was a taboo in the public discourse, over the recent times it has been
increasingly debated. One of the reasons for this is the linkage between commercial sex
and the HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. There is even a section of the
policy-makers and social workers who openly advocate legalisation of commercial sex, so
that the rights of those engaged in this profession could be protected, their health
rights honoured and susceptible girls and women prevented from falling into it. The debate
on legalisation aside, it is well-recognised that most girls and women in this profession
are not in it because they like what they are doing. It is much more of a compulsion than
choice for these women. As a news report on Monday in this daily highlighted, factors like
poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, broken and uncaring families, sexual and physical abuse
and so on are the reasons that led to these girls selling their bodies. It is unimaginable
that women in general, except perhaps a miniscule percentage of them, could regard
commercial sex as a vocation worthy of pursuit. Invariably, behind a sex worker's
engagement in this profession lies a sad tale of misery, poverty and the abdication of
familial and societal responsibilities by their guardians and community people.
It is estimated by a non-governmental organisation that there
may be as many as 50,000 CSWs in the Kathmandu Valley. It is rightly suspected that
commercial sex flourishes in many cases behind the façade of dance and cabin restaurants
and discos. Employed as dancers and waitresses in these establishments, many young girls
find tempted or coerced into the profession quite quickly. The recent government's
decision to provide skill-training to cabinet restaurant workers-which has however found
only a few takers-is a reflection of the acknowledgement at the government level that
something must be done to keep girls from the clutches of commercial sex. But obviously
much more remains to be done to address the issue of protecting those who are already in
it for some reasons and preventing others from entering it. The government and
non-governmental organisations must mount a concerted campaign that offers the girls
alternative ways of professional life and at the same time makes them aware of
particularly the health dangers of plunging into this profession. The society definitely
owes it to the present and potential commercial sex workers some care and attention.
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