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Hundreds of employees from nightclubs, discos and dance bars – the majority of them women – took to the streets to protest against the government’s decision to crackdown on “nude” dancing. Newly appointed Home Minister Bamdev Gautam has ordered the establishments to close at 11 p.m. in order to improve the state of law and order in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.
The protesting women were carrying banners with slogans calling for freedom to practice their profession, an end to police interference and greater job security. Owners of the discos and dance bars say that the government’s actions will cause thousands to lose their jobs and affect business in the capital.
Nepal is a growing democracy, still working though the twists and turns of citizens’ rights, freedom of expression and the right to work. This incident could very well be considered as yet another trial the country has to go through before it establishes itself as a truly free society. But in reality, this disco backlash is a symptom of a Nepali society that is decaying and backsliding; a society which is quick to let go of its traditional morals to make a quick buck but which is also cynical enough to keep some antiquated ideas about women and the traditionally oppressed, to ensure that they don’t get ahead.
According to a Human Rights Watch report, there are about 20,000 Nepali women and girls in Mumbai’s brothels, sold into the flesh trade by someone they know or trust. Every year, in cities across India, thousands of Nepali women and girls enter the brothels as victims of trafficking. Nowadays, the number of those being sent to Gulf states is also rising. In some remote villages in Nepal, the problem is so acute and entrenched that it is not rare to find a father, brother, husband or cousin who has been involved in trafficking their daughter, sister or wife.
The Nepali government has launched several measures to combat this issue, and a number of social service organizations are also working to stop this horrible trade, but the problem still persists. The 10-year-long civil war between the Maoists and the state made efforts to stop the trade even more difficult, since many women who had lost their family or male guardian were lured into the flesh trade. Pimps and middlemen took advantage of the opportunity created by the poor economy and atmosphere of violence.
After the peace agreement was signed between the government and Maoists, and once the business environment slowly began to get back on track, the flesh trade found a new market: Nepal. Seedy nightclubs and bars that began appearing across the country became the destination for desperate women. Women from different parts of Nepal, who in the past would have been targeted to be sold into brothels in India, were now being lured into jobs in these establishments. They were promised honest money and an honest job, but instead were forced to sell themselves.
On the outside, they were presented as being “waitresses” or “servers,” but behind closed doors nothing was very different from a regular brothel in Mumbai. Another chapter in the saga of these sleazy clubs exploiting hapless women is the “nude disco.”
Free enterprise is good for Nepal and the country should honor freedom of expression and employment. But can society accept “nude discos” when every year thousands of Nepali women are sold and forced into prostitution both inside the country and across the border? In fact, the whole idea of discos, nightclubs and fashion shows in Nepal is absurd. The country does not have enough money to ensure proper education, healthcare, employment and equal rights for women, but is content to allow frivolous spending on discos and nightclubs.
The rights of the women working in these nude clubs to decide for themselves should be respected. If they want, they should be free to dance nude, walk into moving traffic, go to college or get another job – they are free to choose. It should be their choice, without force or coercion. But it is still a very bad idea to allow business interests to exploit women and sell them as sex objects. Hopefully, the women who want to work in these nude discos will understand that democracy does not mean the freedom to demean yourself or allow others to exploit you.
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(Bhumika Ghimire is a freelance reporter. Her articles have been published in OhMyNews, NepalNews, Toward Freedom, Telegraph Nepal, Himal South Asian and ACM Ubiquity. She is also a regular contributor to News Front Weekly (Nepal) and Nepal Abroad (Washington D.C.). She can be reached at bhumika_g@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Bhumika Ghimire)
