Every year millions and millions of travelers from around the globe Travel to different parts of Asia for the natural Beauty, Cultural heritage and untouched wilderness, in their quest of thrill and adventure. 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 is some commercial sex abuse in the United States, it is much more prevalent in developing nations Like Nepal, India and Thailand where there are huge possibility of tourism as brothels can employ girls ageing 7 to 17 are quit in hike due to the inflow of the arrivals (tourists). We cannot deny this fact that still today the exploitation of women and children are in rise in the name of entertainment, often women and children of different ageing 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. After being removed from their families, the unfortunate women’s and children are forced into a life of prostitution. Others are forced into prostitution by their own parents in a desperate attempt to earn extra money. 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 AIDS-related illnesses.
According to a study done around the world, millions and 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 life 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?
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. Countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam have been well-known destinations for such tourists, but now Thailand, the 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 there 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 where they are visiting and feel free from the social constraints of their home countries, and thus be more likely to perform inappropriate or unacceptable behaviors but no matter what the reason is, sex industry is growing with the tourism.
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.
Today the tourism industry is growing up with its full capacity and with in 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.
According to news published on the BBC world, it’s shocking that there are huge possibilities of sexual infection of HIV/AIDS between guides and travelers which signifies as a threat to the potential tourist. 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.
Though it’s quit palpable that every thing has two aspects, good and bad. But the thing that really matters is the bad aspect and if potential control or monitoring is not given then in long run might trigger the detrimental elements. The growing tourism industry will characterize the alteration in the social cultural living standard of the people and show its direct effect in the community or society and social economic structure of the country with no option to stay out of.
Shreedeep Rayamajhi
