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.

Thursday 17 January 2013

Wednesday 16th

Grahame, Lyn, Kate, Lloyd, and Kumar arrived at about 9 p.m. last night, weary from their few days out bush.  They arrived with three girls, one that had been out there for the court case I mentioned, another girl in her mid teens,  who Kate has decided to sponsor, and the other little girl. Didsya, if you  know how to pronounce it.  I don't.  The girls have great fun listening to us trying to get our tongues around these names.  There was a very happy reunion as they were back with each other.  Today, I took Lyn and Katie to the half-way house to see the ladies, who were busily sewing some new clothes. There are three little children there, two belong to one of the ladies and one little boy belongs to another.  They are pretty unruly and the poor little puppy gets a bit of a hard time.  We were hoping it wouldn't be catapulted over the balcony on the flat roof top where the children were playing.   We then went onto Tusal to meet up with Lyn's girl as she came home from school.  They look so much younger when they are in their  uniforms and their hair in little plaits with ribbons.  It is hard to believe what she had been through in India.

Robyn

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