In Nepal, prostitution is prohibited. However, many Nepalese young girls are forced into sexual slavery conditions and the situation seems unlikely to improve. Recent studies conducted by our partners (Raksha Nepal and Saathi) allow us to measure the extent of this scourge and its evolution.

The phenomenon of trafficking is still rife and the typical profile of the victim remains unchanged: she is very young-13 years-on average, poor, uneducated and coming from a rural area. Without freedom of choice and opportunity for a dignified life, these girls are easy to deceive and exploit. 12,000 Nepalese are recruited each year by traffickers and forced into prostitution in brothels abroad. They are then forced to lead a life characterized by feelings of unworthiness, rejection and social enslavement to debt to the trafficker, the pretext to help their families leave a precarious financial situation. In India alone, there are 200,000 Nepalese women victims of this illegal trade.

Another form of sexual exploitation tends to develop in Nepal and this significantly. This is the phenomenon of prostitution hidden within the sector leisure. Every year, hundreds of Nepalese girls in situations of extreme vulnerability join Kathmandu in the hope of finding a job. Thinking of accepting an offer as a waitress, masseuse or dancer, the girls quickly find themselves forced into prostitution for a miserable wage (between 30 and 150 U.S. $ per month). The majority of them are minor, illiterate and have no economic alternative. The studies reveal that our partners around 20,000 Nepalese girls are currently victims of sexual exploitation in this sector "leisure"! The industry profits are enormous fear and leave a certain complacency on the part of the Nepalese authorities, who have just declared 2011 as the year of tourism in Nepal. However, it is well known, some tourists are still fond of "leisure" ...