Tourism and Sex Industry

Around the globe, every year millions of travelers Travel to different parts of Asia for the natural Beauty, Cultural heritage and untouched wilderness. Though tourism industry has been proving boost in the developing nation, a less glamorous aspect of the tourist industry, however, consists of thousands of tourists and businessmen who travel overseas in order to engage in sex with or take pornographic pictures of women and children. Sex tourism or, more specifically, traveling to a foreign country in search of sex, has become a well-developed component of the commercial-sexual exploitation of women.

Although there are few number of commercial sex abuse cases reported in the developed nations, it is much more prevalent in developing nations Like Nepal, India and Thailand where there are huge possibility of tourism. Due to lack of poor economy women are pushed into sex trade with or without their knowledge. As brothels can employ girls ageing 7 to 25, they simply lure them showing attractive life, high earning or in most case with false promises. We cannot deny this fact that still today the exploitation of women and children are in rise in the name of entertainment and tourism. Often women and children of different age group are trapped and exploited through the sex industry in various ways. Some are lured away from broken homes by "recruiters" who promise jobs to poor people in the city or some willing go in search of foreign job where after arriving in foreign lands the women can do nothing.

After being removed from their families, the unfortunate women’s and children are forced into a life of prostitution and exploitation. Bitter reality is some are also forced into prostitution by their own parents in a desperate attempt to earn extra money as poverty often creates intense desperation, and parents sometimes sell their children in exchange for food, shelter, and other necessities of life.

Many of these women and children are beaten, tortured, or, in extreme cases, murdered. Women and Children involved in sex work commonly contract Sexually Transmitted Diseases or die of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses.

According to the Office of Attorney General, 174 offenders were convicted in 119 cases tried in court under the HTTCA; 71 cases resulted in convictions and 47 cases resulted in acquittals in Nepal's 2009-2010 fiscal year. This compares with 172 offenders convicted in 138 cases tried in court, with 82 cases resulting in convictions and 56 case acquittals, in the previous fiscal year. It is not known how many of these cases were for human trafficking, since the HTTCA also prohibits other offenses that do not constitute human trafficking, such as people smuggling. Government statistics did not include information about punishments and did not disaggregate whether convictions were for sex trafficking, labor trafficking, or non-trafficking offenses.

A study done around the world shows millions of Women and children enter the sex trade or sex industry each year, though the gender equality gives right to women’s to fully live their lives with freedom but still in most of the parts of the world the future of these women lies in doom in the name of fate, with every day going through hell and endlessly waiting for a morning of hope. So what are the reasons that characterize the definition of sex industry inside the tourism and abroad jobs?

The cheap airfares, the opening of countries once closed because of war or politics, and the advent of the Internet have provided more opportunities for tourists looking for sex partners as poor countries are often under strict economic pressure to develop tourism as a source of income. Sadly, sometimes those governments "turn a blind eye" toward this devastating problem in pursuit of that income.

In January 2011, the Ministry of Labor Nepal formed a Committee to Hear the Issue of Undocumented Workers. The committee met once during the reporting period, and includes an NGO. Chapter 9 of the 2007 Foreign Employment Act criminalizes the acts of an agency or individual sending workers abroad through fraudulent recruitment promises or without the proper documentation, prescribing penalties of three to seven years' imprisonment for those convicted; fraudulent recruitment puts workers at significant risk of trafficking.

Looking at the global scenario, countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam have been well-known destinations for such tourists, but now Thailand, Philippines, and Sri Lanka are gaining similar reputations. This epidemic is quickly spreading to other poverty-ridden areas of the Eastern Asia. There is this misconception that having sex with a virgin will cure HIV which has been bringing people in search for sex although it’s not true but to some extent has affected in the rise of sex tourist. In some Asian and African countries exists a distorted belief that children are less likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, These notions are unfounded and false. In fact, the average rate for HIV infected women and children rescued from brothels are 50 percent, and some rates are as high as 90 percent. The perception of seeing condoms as culturally and socially taboo has also increased the number of HIV and I am really sorry to write this but rumors like these are often created by people with in our society to just increase their business. Another reasons for the increasing sex industry inside the tourism is the lack of proper rules and regulation which generally fortifies the sex tourist to travel to such country where the rules and regulation are at ease or flexible.

If we look psychologically into this matter then we could understand the relativity of the problem as travelers may view the women and children engaged in the sex industry as inferior, or justify their behavior by convincing themselves that there are no social taboos regarding having sex with women and children in the country. They are visiting and feeling free from any social constraints of their home countries, and thus be more likely to perform inappropriate or unacceptable behaviors but no matter what the reason is lack of awareness.

Sex Industry with in the tourism is a complicated obstacle to overcome, especially because of its wide-reaching international scope so a heightened awareness of this atrocious violation of women’s and children's rights may help to restrain this growing problem.

Nepal is one of the world's fastest-growing adventure destinations and researchers believe visitors have become "high-risk" as they lower their inhibitions when go abroad, though tourism provides enormous potential for sustainable social and economic growth and development of the countries. Unfortunately, it also represents inherent threats like HIV AIDS, Sex industry etc. According to Avert.org , " An estimated 64,000 people are living with HIV and AIDS in Nepal, including 0.4% of the adult population. HIV is primarily transmitted through injecting drug use and unprotected sex. Seasonal labour migration is an important source of income for many Nepalese, but it is associated with a higher risk of HIV infection and nearly 50% of total HIV infections are recorded along the highway districts of country. Around 41% of all HIV cases in Nepal are among seasonal labour migrants, 16% are clients of sex workers and 21% are partners or wives of HIV positive men."

Today the tourism industry is growing up with its full capacity and within the tourism industries business like Massage Center, Dance restaurant, Cabin restaurant are also growing accordingly, which blind folded is giving brace to sex industry.

As a study shows that Nepal has also become a high risk for both tourist and from tourist, the tourist industry is at particular at risk from the pandemic because of the mobility of the work force, the presence of sex tourists, and the heavy reliance of the country upon its tourism revenues. Some people have contemplate that potential tourists' fear of HIV/AIDS could discourage them from visiting this countries, while others have even suggested that tourism should be discouraged because of the growing sex industry as it contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other transferable sex disease.