PORN WAVE
Porn is not new in Nepal ('Porn wave', #411). In 1984, when I was living in Nepal, a house in my neighbourhood used to charge an entrance fee and show pornographic films. There will always be a market for sex. What society needs to ensure is that there is protection for the girls involved in this trade, who take part in it unwilllingly and are forced to do so due to poverty. As long as there are men who want sex, porn and prostitution will exist. Legalising this industry and protecting the workers should be the primary concern, not banning it. Nepal has far worse problems in society than sex. The solution is to criminalise the buying of sex, which will never happen in Nepal. So the only alternative is to legalise it, make testing mandatory, clean up the working environment and punish those who abuse these regulations.

Margareta,
France

* When you criminalise buying of sex you are indirectly discouraging selling of sex, are you not? If there are no buyers will there be no sellers. Pornography becomes dangerous when young people start believing what they watch and the perversion rife in it. Poverty is only one factor pushing women into prostitution. Please do not forget upbringing, culture, moral values and most importantly things like drug addiction, damaged psychology and circumstances like coercion, deception and blackmailing.

K Rai,
UK

* Common sense should prevail. The need of the hour is perhaps to focus on advocating, spreading the awareness and sensitising the issue in illiterate and impoverished communities. Hitherto, only a handful of ill-resourced agencies are working towards the prevention of sexual exploitation, trafficking and domestic abuse. The assistance may cease when foreign alms dry up. The ominous silence now of Nepali civics will only aggravate the situation. It is urgent to preserve the Nepali pride of being rich in conservatism, traditional and cultural values. Otherwise in years not so distant, Nepal will perhaps be a hot spot for international sex traders. Making sex a taboo is to victimise more young women and children.

Gavin,
email

* A country that tolerates the trafficking of its young women to become prostitutes in India and has no right to hold the moral high ground on porn. We have to stop this shameful real-life exploitation of our women before getting all worked up about reel-life smut.

Jujubhai,
Asan

MILLION MUTINIES
'A million mutinies' (Editorial, #411). Instead of sermonising, Nepali Times should introspect and ask the question whether it has also been responsible to some extent for this mess. By constantly maligning politicians and eroding their credibility they have contributed in bringing about a situation where there is no one left to douse such fires when they start.

Ram Prasad,
Chhauni

* An excellent editorial and I have no words to describe the front page cartoon by Robin Sayami. No, the flag and country should never be torn apart. Let's forget the divisions and unite for our beloved Nepal.

CK Shrestha,
email

* Fantastic cartoon. It says it all.

Sarita,
Janakpur