The report Minors in Kathmandu’s adult entertainment sector: What’s driving demand?”, written by Subas Risal and Elizabeth Hacker, Sutra (on behalf of the Freedom Fund), aims to understand the profiles of owners, managers, and customers of adult entertainment venues in Nepal in two stages. The first stage included a scoping exercise with literature reviews, informal group discussions, focus groups, and key informant interviews. The second stage consisted of in-depth interviews with 62 participants to explore complex issues around commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in Nepal.
The main findings reveal that most adult entertainment venue owners are men, often owning multiple venues and recruiting new workers through existing ones. Entertainment workers themselves are key recruiters for the industry. Customers varied widely in demographics and motivations, with some showing a preference for younger individuals. Owners and managers had mixed attitudes towards CSEC, often influenced by perceived customer preferences and economic pressures. The study concludes with recommendations for stricter law enforcement and better awareness campaigns to mitigate CSEC, emphasizing the need for government action to protect vulnerable children and regulate the adult entertainment sector effectively.
Click here or on the image below to access the report.
