Recently I watched a Hollywood movie Sold, directed by Oscar winning director Jeffrey D Brown. I stayed numb along with other few hundred audiences during the screening. The movie, based on Patricia McCormick’s eponymous novel, displays the brutality of girl-trafficking experienced by millions of children across the globe, particularly Nepal. It’s a real life story of thousands of Nepali girls who are taken to work as sex slaves in brothels in India every day. 

Trafficking is one of the biggest human rights issues. However, despite much talk about its eradication, nothing concrete has been done. It is more surprising that even if there are high talks on rural education or girls’ education and empowerment, innocent girls, especially teens, are still trafficked in huge numbers. It has been estimated that as many as 12,000 to 20,000 children are trafficked out of Nepal annually. Most of the trafficked girls fall between the age of 12 and 19. Teens are mostly targeted as they are easily influenced by the traffickers with false promises of good life, luxury and property. 

The status of human trafficking in Nepal is worrying as our sisters are sold and resold in the markets like goods. Trafficking is a form of modern day slavery. According to International Labor Organization data, human slavery generates an estimated US $32 billion a year. The trafficked children are mostly used as laborers, sex workers or mine/factory workers. A large number of trafficked children are forced to work in circus. Many trafficked girls are compelled to work in night entertainment industry in India. These sex workers don’t have the authority over their own body and struggle to survive in such hells. How pathetic is it to know that people are making money out of selling people? 

There are many factors that lead to girl trafficking such as poverty, illiteracy, gender discrimination and rapid urbanization among others. But lack of education is the foremost reason. Only education can shed light over the darkness of trafficking. Lack of education among parents and children makes them easily influenced by traffickers’ false promises. The next reason is the prevailing gender discrimination in our society. Due to patriarchal mindset of the society, girls are less likely to be sent to schools for education. Parents in rural communities don’t prefer to invest in girls’ education as they feel like they won’t get any returns. As a result, they limit their daughters to domestic space. Due to rising unemployment, people struggle to live a quality life. Lack of better income for people force them to choose wrong paths to fill their hungry stomach. 

These various reasons stated above have resulted in high number of girl trafficking. There is a need for some strong action to combat this menace. Once trafficked, most of the children cannot escape from their hellish situation. If they are freed by chance, they lose their hope of living a dignified life again as they are afraid to face the family and society. Our society is structured in such a way that it doesn’t welcome the trafficked girls despite knowing that they were forced into dehumanizing works. 

Girls trafficked into sex slavery are not accepted by their own family members once they return home. That is why they prefer to commit suicide or live in isolation. Many of them undergo severe mental problems like depression. The need of the hour is to change the perception of our society. Many trafficked girls suffer from life-threatening diseases like HIV. According to a study by Harvard School of Public Health in 2007, 38 percent of repatriated Nepali sex-trafficked girls and women were living with AIDS. 

Raising awareness is vital for fighting against girl-trafficking. As there is a high vulnerability of trafficking in rural, remote and near-border villages, such areas should be prioritized and educated. Education should be made compulsory not only to students or mostly teens but awareness should be raised among their parents as well. They should be informed about the dangers of trafficking. Informal education can help. 

The recently launched campaign of Child Reach International, ‘Taught Not Trafficked’ says that every child should be kept in schools for education, from childhood to the age of 19. A saying goes, “when you educate girls, the economy of a nation doubles”. Special attention should be given to girl education to prevent child trafficking. Reports show that keeping girls in schools can reduce the likelihood of being trafficked by 80 percent. Let every girl be educated, so that she could live a dignified life and use her potential in national development. It’s time to empower the girls through action. 

Published on: 2 December 2014 | Republica