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 5 April 2013

Friday. What a week,

Today is a day off for the team so two of the ladies left early this morning for a mountain flight to get up close and personal with Everest and then later the whole team are going touring for the day.  Grahame and I have many things to do today with shopping and collecting four more team members, buying pillows, things in general as we are still trying to set up the guest house. We ran out of water again today because the electricity didn't come on and we couldn't pump the water up into the tanks.  Fortunately we have a generator here and Grahame is at present sorting out our water problems.  What would we do without our men when it comes to things like that.  Liz will be heading home tomorrow, having had a great time.  There is so much to see and learn about this country and a week is not  even enough to touch the surface.  She has been a great team member, just a joy to be with.  We always meet  different people each time with different skills, so it is always interesting dynamics.  The sewing class continued yesterday.  They all arrived late the first day (typical nepali) and I told them that was disrespectful  to the teacher, so every other day, 5 mins early every day.  I was very proud of them.  Yesterday, Linda took the class training them in painting the faces on the dolls. She is much more capable than I am.  I had a talk with them after  class about Rahab, and other days, Ruth and a Sychar encounter.  They love stories.    
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