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.

Monday 15 April 2013

Happy New Year

Don,t think that I am going crazy.  It was New Year,s Day yesterday in the year 2070 in Nepal.  It was a relatively quiet affair.  No wild parties.  Even our local dogs, who usually drive us crazy at night, were quiet.  It has taken me over an hour to get on line today.  I have also missed a couple of days because Grahame and half the team have gone too
Chinchiu  with his laptop, and my I pad didn't want to co-operate, but we seem to have sorted it out.  One of the ladies in my sewing class never seemed to talk much and we wondered if she was deaf.  apparently, is does have hearing problems, but I found out that someone  had cut her tongue in the place she lived before so she has to sort of sign.  the other ladies seem to be able to follow along.  he cooking classes for the younger ones had finished this week and the older ones are doing the training this week.  We will finish their dolls also.  It was my birthday yesterday and it was a lovely day, I took my sponsored little girl out to lunch, along with our son,s girl also.  Margaret took out two other girls who are sponsored by friends.  We took them to Mexican style place that makes great pizza,s. Boy! Can these skinny little girls eat.  Then, last night, I had a surprise birthday cake and a bouquet of flowers and a beautiful Pashmina, arranged by  Raju even though he is 600 km. away.  Our lovely young man , Sujan, who is here to make sure that we have everything we need, very subtly, asked if I had any candles.  Then with a look of pride, he led me downstairs to present me with a lovely gluten free cake with chocolate icing.  I am hoping the ladies who are out at
Chinchiu will blog of their experiences. They will be having some amazing experiences though the going will be tough.  We had installed a water filter, so we don,t have to carry boxes of  water home.  We also have an ozoniser, to put our fruit and veges in and it cleans it and now we can eat fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes etc.  Of course, we are restricted to the power times, but it is a big help in giving us more variety in our diet

Robyn

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