| Stolen girls from Nepal by Kathleen Hoag |
| "I trusted my friend. I didn't know any better. They drugged us with something you take with bread. I never came back from there ... When I refused to have sex, they beat me for days. They threatened to bury me alive. " -- Anita, sold at age 12 The words of this girl could be spoken by any of the approximately 7,000 girls per year in Nepal who are tricked, stolen, and sold by their families into the barbaric sex trade industry. They are sent to brothels in India and propelled into a life of torture and deprivation beyond comprehension. Girls as young as nine years old can be found caged in the red light district of Bombay, averaging six customers a day, at $2 dollars each. These girls come from poverty stricken areas of rural Nepal where religious, cultural, and social attitudes see females as inferior. Opportunities for education and employment are scarce and the illiteracy rate for females is 86%. Those who are recruited are done so with promises of work, marriage to a good husband, wealth, or freedom in the big city. Families relinquish their daughters mostly for financial gain (U.S.$40 - $1,000), or ignorance ? truly believing their daughters are being taken to a better life. This must be stopped! There is one woman in Nepal who has dedicated her life to doing just that. Her name is Anuradha Koirala and she began Maiti Nepal in 1993 to work against trafficking of Nepali girls. Currently, Maiti Nepal offers the following services: Rehabilitation Center for sex trade survivors, Income Generating Education Programs, Public Relief Center for those seeking help to find missing women and children, Public Awareness and Advocacy, Hospice for victims dying of AIDS and Tuberculosis, Border Transit Stations to prevent girls from being trafficked, Prevention Camps where girls receive education and microloans, and Law Enforcement liaison. You can join Wisconsin Friends of Maiti Nepal to combat trafficking. On November 12, at 3 p.m., there will be a showing of the documentary "The Day My God Died" at Trinity United Methodist Church, on 1123 Vilas Avenue in Madison. This documentary features the true stories of girls prostituted in India. Come and see this important chronicle of one of the most shameful human practices on the planet. (Please note that due to the content of the film children under the age of 16 should not attend. For other minors, use parental discretion.) Donations are welcomed for the viewing and there will be a raffle drawing for baskets of amazing goods from Nepal and beyond. For more information and/or to become involved in Wisconsin Friends of Maiti Nepal, please contact Kathleen Hoag at (608) 294 -5598 or kahoag@tds.net. |
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