Desperate Girls

The Badi Girls

Between 7,000 and 12,000 young girls, aged 9-16, are trafficked each year from Nepal; mainly to India. According to Nepal Monitor/On line journal, 2007, there are more than 200,000 Nepali girls in Indian brothels.

The Dalits(untouchables) are the lowest level in Hindu society, and the Badi community, in Western Nepal, are the lowest of the low. As a displaced hungry people group the Badi community has made sexual subservience a way of life. Young girls from this group “serve” other groups. This has become a tradition and means of livelihood. Many girls, even when they are unwilling, are forced to serve as sex slaves. Family members knowingly sell their daughters to traffickers.

Though prostitution is illegal in Nepal, the industry reportedly has links with highly ranked officials and political leaders. Large groups of girls are taken across the border with many police and government officials being in collusion with traffickers and brothel owners.

Traffickers and related criminals are often protected by political parties, and if arrested, are freed using political power. As a result, there is an underlying distrust of police that has led people not to file cases against traffickers.

Domestic action involves activities of NGO’s and other volunteer groups. These groups are playing a major role to address girl-trafficking and sex slaves issues. Some NGO’s are playing a very important role to improve the situation. From creating social awareness to rescuing and rehabilitation, they are providing services (and relief) to those that need it the most – the likely victims as well as the rescued ones. The Lighthouse foundation is one of these.

*See Chandra Kala’s story on this blog site.

Saturday 15 September 2012

amazing 4 days

The last 5 days have been extraordinary.  We have travelled hundreds of kilometres, seen the most incredible poverty, danced with prostitutes, travelled the scariest roughest roads, meet beautiful generous happy people, cried many tears, picked up  girls who have come from brothels in India taken them on their first bus ride, plane ride and first trip to Kathmandu and delivered them to the safety of the hostel.
Today we went to the school and saw the end result. The children at the school came from these backgrounds and today we watched them dance,  sing and laugh at children's day. We were cuddled, hugged and kissed and a game of "round and round the garden like a teddy bear" was a huge hit and caused lots of laughter.

To see where the girls came from, the  villages, poverty and pain and then see them at school laughing is the greatest thing ever.
I am loving it here, i would not want to live here it is the worse thing I have ever seen. But what a amazing work Educate Nepal is doing.
I must go we have a very early start tomorrow, we are off the the country again.

Love Trish            

No comments:

Post a Comment