KATHMANDU, JAN 29 - Supreme Court (SC) has issued show cause notice to 17 government officers based on the complaint filed by Samrakshak Samuha Nepal (SASANE).

SASANE had filed contempt of court cases at the apex court against these government offices for flouting the directives issued in 2065 B.S. by the SC to control sexual exploitation of working women occurring in places such as dance restaurants, cabin, Dohari, massage parlor and dance bar and inflicting more pain on the women.

A single bench of Justice Tap Bahadur Magar gave the order to issue the show cause notice, where advocates Bagala Regmi, Shyam Pokharel and Ram Raut presented the case on behalf of Pooja Dhimal for SASANE.

Ministry of Women, Children and Social welfare has estimated that number of cabin, Dohori, dance restaurants and massage parlors that are dispersed in different parts of Kathmandu Valley is 1200.  Around 50,000 workers are engaged in these businesses and it is estimated that among them 80 percent are women, SASANE said on Friday.

Women from the age of 12 to 30 are engaged in the employment, they are forced to engage in unwilling sexual activities and they have to bear the verbal, physical and psychological abuses by customers and managers and helpless women are forced to engage in unethical and disgraceful activities and even sexual intercourse by entrepreneurs and customers under undue influence, greed, and coercion beyond the work-period, the Ministry has stated this in a report.

There is enhanced possibility of trafficking of women working in such work-place and 52.5 percent of them are seduced and incited by persons engaged in trafficking stating that they would seek good jobs in other countries including Hong Kong, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, the Ministry has further stated in the report.

The Supreme Court had issued the directives in the absence of law to control the sector to be implemented till the parliament passes another Act.

In these days, Nepal police has been raiding the places, arresting, taking into custody and taking actions against the working women under Some Public (Crime and Punishment) Act, 2027 BS.

SASANE has been claiming that act of forceful sexual exploitation of working women is modern form of slavery and unnecessary arresting, taking into custody and inflecting torture on the women by the police administration is the severe violation of these women's human rights.

Posted on: 2010-01-29 06:07

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