Anjali Subedi

He was madly in love with her. Her marital status would not stop him from marrying her and he was even ready to accept her two children as his own.

This was what 20-year-old Krishna Bahadur Tamang would reiterate to win the confidence of Goma (name changed), who had been betrayed by her husband.

However, after she developed some intimacy with him, it did not take long for the young man, originally from Nuwakot district, to in turn betray Goma.

According to Goma, 22, she was trafficked to India and sold into a brothel where she was thrashed and beaten. But she ultimately managed to flee, return to Nepal and nab Tamang at last.

“After my husband married another woman and began torturing me, I came to Kathmandu to stay with my sister-in-law. Krishna Bahadur came in contact with us through one Maya Tamang,” said Goma. “He would show immense love and care for me and my children. I started to feel that he really wanted to marry me,” she added.

Goma’s was a child marriage in Sindhuli district, the reason why she already has two kids at a relatively young age. Even though her husband Chandra Bahadur did not take care of them, Goma wanted to secure a better life for her children -- Purna Maya, 7, and Sujan 5. This was why she moved to the capital and started working as a laborer.

On April 23, Krishna Bahadur took Goma to a friend’s room in Bauddha, Kathmandu. According to Goma, she was persuaded to go with them though she did not know what the destination was. “My son was also with me. They told me to state that I was heading to Himachal for work if anyone made any queries. I had no doubts about his intentions, so I obeyed him,” said Goma.

The team crossed the Bhairahawa border next day. According to Goma, they reached Majanukatila bus park in Delhi. A group of women welcomed them after they came to ‘a strange building’ at Majanukatila market. “Krishna Bahadur and his friend Arjun were calling the ladies didi (elder sister). However, I was feeling very strange.

As they prepared to leave I got worried and told them I would come along. But they said they would come back soon to get us,” said Goma. “Soon after they left, I was told that I had been sold for Rs 150,000 and was compelled to work for them. I had ended up in a brothel. But I managed to flee from there within 10 days,” Goma added.

With the help of the Nepali community in Delhi, Goma boarded a Manjushree Yatayat bus (No 2611, NA 3 Kha) and she reached Kathmandu again on 7 May.
After hearing her story, a woman at a tea shop took her to Maiti Nepal, the organization which works against girl trafficking.

“With the help of Maiti Nepal, I have been able to nab the culprit who sold me. He has been handed over to police.

The government should punish him to the maximum; he will destroy the lives of other women if he is not put behind bars,” said Goma.

“On the basis of Goma’s report one man has been caught, while another, Arjun, is still at large. While many women are trafficked to India every day, the culprits are caught only in a very few cases,” said Anuradha Koirala of Maiti Nepal.

It is estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 girls and women are trafficked every year from Nepal to India’s four main cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Banglore and Kolkota for commercial sex.

Published on: 11 May 2013 | Republica