Unregistered Khaja Ghar businesses suffer police harassemnt and abusive behaviour from customers

CLARISSA formed three Participatory Action Research groups in Nepal with small business owners operating in the adult entertainment sector (AES) to better understand the dynamics of running small, informal AES businesses that contribute to the emergence and perpetuation of worst forms of child labour. The project’s in-depth interviews with business owners revealed that many children who newly arrive in Kathmandu work in a khaja ghar because the job does not require qualifications, experience, or legal documents.

This note reports on an Action Research Group of khaja ghar business owners. Issues identified by the group included the involvement of children in khaja ghars, difficulties in legal registration, owners facing physical and sexual abuse from customers, maltreatment by police, and society’s negative perceptions of khaja ghars. The group gathered evidence and took action on the issue ‘unregistered khaja ghar businesses suffer from abuse from customers and the police’.