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 10 April 2015

Friday 10th Lashio Water Festival



We arrived in Lashio yesterday after one hour forty minute flight north from Yangon.  It is a city of 400,000 but doesn't have  anything particular to commend it.  We are to plan starting a school.  There is a couple of acres , we plan to meet with the engineer today checking contours of the land.  There is already teacher training under way here with two of our trainers repeating the training done earlier this year.

Above is a photo of the water festival.  It is a huge part of the Myanmar festive calendar.  For four days the business close,  Huge platforms and stages are built along the sides of the roads, and people with hoses drench everyone in the street.  or throw buckets of water.  All over the country this goes on for four days.  It is a ritual cleansing of sin and at the end, they go to the temple to begin the New Year.  no one is safe from the drenching, consequently we are well out of town  when the festivities begin.  

As I mentioned this is a land of golden temples.  I was told yesterday, that a temple in Yangon has 73 tons of gold on the roof and in the ornamentation.

This morning we are going to meet the 54 orphans that are up for sponsorship, and later I am meeting some ladies who have been rescued.  I am really looking forward to meeting them and telling them about our ladies

Robyn


















































































































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