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.

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Tuesday 13 th January. Political strike

We are sitting in the Kathmandu airport very early.  Last night, we found out there is  strike in Kathmandu today, and so vehicles or bikes are allowed on the road.  Even though our flight to India is 11.10 a.m., we had to leave the guesthouse at 5 am. in the dark, and sneek around rough back roads to get to the airport.  When we arrived, there were already hundreds of people in a long queue.  It has been freezing sitting in the first waiting part, as there is no heating.  We have just moved up into the  upstairs lounge.  There will be demonstrations all over the city.  There were lots of police already on the street at 5a.m.  The constitution here is supposed to be settled by 22nd of the month, so there is a lot of stirring up going on by different political groups.  It can be a dangerous situation if things get out of hand.  Everything grinds to a halt with no one being able to get around.  It seems to happen on a regular basis here.  It must hurt business in the city.  Anyway, we are off to India.
Robyn
See Josh write up
Grahame V Kerr
Transform the Nations
'Be transformed by the renewing of your mind'
Transform the Nations Ltd.
 BSB 034204   Account No. 336425







668A7A73-3606-4396-A97D-7F6F1FE89147 area
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)