The adult entertainment sector in Nepal is made up of a complex web of venues that includes massage parlours, dance bars, cabin restaurants, and guesthouses. These workplaces employ young women and girls as waitresses and dancers who entertain male patrons. Many of these venues have become a front for commercial sex, and, alarmingly, the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC).
The webinar presents the findings from two recently completed research commissioned by the Freedom Fund, each offering a different perspective on CSEC in the adult entertainment sector in Kathmandu: contrasting the view of perpetrators with the experiences of survivors.
The first of these, “what’s driving demand for minors in Kathmandu’s adult entertainment sector”, seeks to understand the profiles of those who use the services of children in sexualized work and the perspectives of owners and managers of the venues where this work takes place.
The second, “how girls can safely and permanently exit exploitative work?”, looks at the typical pathways for girls into and out of work in adult entertainment venues and identifies the services and systems needed for girls to speedily, safely and permanently leave the adult entertainment sector.
Each report is presented by the principal investigator:
Dr. Subas Risal is a senior researcher with over 15 years of research and teaching experiences in the USA, Australia and Nepal. His areas of expertise include welfare policies, inclusion, poverty, international development and social protection. Dr. Risal brings with him insights from a broad range of research projects and in recent years has worked mostly as a team leader.
Dr. Lucy Jordan is an Associate Professor from the University of Hong Kong, Department of Social Work and Social Administration. Dr. Jordan is a qualified social worker, is experienced in population and demographic field research in resource-poor settings, and has completed large-scale research and consultancy projects on children, families, and migration.