KATHMANDU: Aastha-Faith, an organization advocating for the rights and welfare of sex workers for the past two decades, has written an open letter to senior leader Balen Shah, whom the Rastriya Swatantra Party has projected as a future prime minister, urging him to address the human rights and justice concerns of Nepal’s millions of sex workers.
The letter was made public by Faith’s executive director, Rina Lama.
The NGO recently released a film, Laalima, based on the experiences of 3,000 sex workers, which premiered on March 13. “We made this film to highlight the ongoing human rights violations faced by sex workers,” Lama said. The film is described not just as a story but as a collective document capturing the voices of thousands of marginalized women.
The letter states that sex workers face daily violence, abuse, and social exclusion, yet their experiences rarely inform policy debates. When they are acknowledged, their struggles are often misrepresented through a lens of criminality or morality.
Faith has invited Balen Shah to engage in dialogue with sex workers to ensure their rights are protected. The letter also calls on the state to recognize sex workers as human beings deserving of respect and security, and to implement policy reforms that promote their welfare.
“True nation-building means ensuring the safety and dignity of citizens who live marginalized lives,” Lama wrote in the letter. “A nation becomes strong only when it protects the rights and dignity of its most vulnerable citizens.”
The organization believes that the open letter will spark new discussions on social reform and human rights in Nepal.
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