This briefing paper has been compiled using information included in the Out of the Shadows Index and the ECPAT Country Overview for Nepal. The brief describes Nepal's score on the Out of the Shadows Index, which measured the country’s response to child sexual exploitation and abuse, including its assessment of Nepal's overall environment, legal framework, government commitment and capacity, and the engagement of industry, civil society, and media.
The brief also highlights the response of the Nepalese travel and tourism sector to sexual exploitation and abuse of children, which scored 0/100, "due to an overall omission to include these issues as clear priorities in their work, annual reports and organisational codes of conduct." According to the brief, "the 2016 Global Study on SECTT identified that sexual exploitation of children was becoming visible in emerging tourism destinations such as Nepal, with examples of child sexual abuse and exploitation happening in orphanages by foreign volunteers. ‘Volun-tourism’ has been increasingly commercialised into a lucrative industry involving volunteer-tourists in activities with direct contact to children. While the majority of tourists are of course well-meaning, these practices have a range of harmful consequences on children, including the risk of sexual exploitation."
Learn more here: https://ecpat.exposure.co/nepal
