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.

Sunday 24 November 2013

Charlton Christian College Nepal Mission Team

Our stay here has been incredible. Grahame has looked after us really well. The girls we have met have been an incredible blessing to us, they have included us immediately, and surrounded us with love and fun. The realities of life here are very harsh, the living standard is for the majority very different to what we're used to in Australia, the roads are near non existent, however we've managed. We went to church here yesterday and that was mind blowing. These incredible people are not just depending on foreign aid, they are there own "Exodus, a movement of the people" the congregation was to capacity, there was a baptism of over 100 people yesterday, it's a Nepalese ground swell, that Pastor Raju is developing into a tidal wave. I feel so privileged to have witnessed this.
Danielle Adamo


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