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.

Friday 19 April 2013

departures

well, four of our team are sitting here waiting for the taxi to take them to the airport.  It will be like a morgue here. Me, myself and I.  Grahame and team will be here on Sunday.  We are rejoicing, as we have just received 22 sponsorships, so all the bedraggled little girls who arrived last week, all have sponsors.  There is another group of girls coming . I'm not quite sure how many, but it will be a bus load.  I finally finished the stories of the doll-making class.  I was totally wrung out afterwards.  It is inconceivable what had happened to these women.  It is beyond the imaginations of any of us.    Today, I have one little teenager to talk to, and then to photograph the new girls, get their names, and ages, and some background information.  When we come back in September, once they have settled down, we might be able to find out a little more about them.

Robyn

No comments:

Post a Comment