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.

Thursday 4 September 2014

Back into the swing

Here we are again, seems like we never left.   It is hot and humid, but lovely and green after the monsoon.  We had a day in Singapore for a meeting and managed to see a bit of that beautiful city.  Spotlessly clean and manicured, spreading trees and flowers everywhere.  It is now just dark in Kathmandu, and life is just as noisy and colourful as ever.  Sadly, the dog who barks all night is still alive a kicking, so I guess we will be serenaded tonight.  We also have a new rooster and hen tied by the leg in the vacant allotment next door.  The rooster has already been crowing in the middle of the day, so I expect we will be hearing from him before dawn.  We did see a little dog dead on the footpath on the way up to shop.  It is hard to survive on the street here.  We were excitedly greeted by some of the women doing the beauty training.  One of them has a trendy new haircut and the other one was halfway through colouring her hair.  It was so great to see them again.  There are only two of us tonight.  Seems weird, as there is usually a houseful. But it will be full on soon enough.

Robyn
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