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 30 March 2013

Good Friday

It seems odd that it is Good Friday, and it is just another day in Nepal.  Usually, we have church here on a Saturday, being the day off here, but because Sunday is Easter Sunday, Raju is having a combined meeting with his home church and all the satellite churches.  He is expecting around 3,000 people in a hired hall in town.  I am looking forward to the celebration.  They always sing so wonderfully at the normal service, so, with so many, I guess they will lift the roof.  We have had two rooms carpeted upstairs, and 4 rooms on the ground floor with new lino, one for sewing, one for beauty training, one for the Transform the Nations office, and one large room for a multipurpose training room.  We were without water the first day, as the pump that pumped the water into the underground tank, was broken.  That has been fixed today, as well as the lock taken out of the large kitchen downstairs, so we can get in and prepare it for the cooking classes.  Some young men from the Bible College came over this afternoon and moved some furniture, and some general cleaning, after the landlord removed the last of his rubbish.  I had my first ride on a motorbike yesterday.  I vowed I would never get on a  bike in Kathmandu, but I gave in to Sujan's pleading.  It was quite fun. I felt very daring.  I'm really a coward at heart.  Grahame picked up two of our team this afternoon, and they are settling in .  They have enjoyed their first experience of colour and sound.  They will write on the blog themselves.  4 new beds arrived today and a long table for the cooking class.  There is still more furniture to come and some rearranging but it is coming together  slowly.

Robyn
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