Nepal: 5000 women are trafficked each year across the intl.border

-Prof. Soorya Lal Amatya, Geneva

Kathmandu: “The women and children are particularly vulnerable all over the world. There are trafficking of women and children mainly for sexual exploitation and are forced to prostitution. The prostitution in developing countries and especially in the least developing countries are very common. Women and young girls are exploited in prostitution up-to a stage when they can attract and comfort the people. When they are fully exploited, then, they are thrown-out into the streets. For such women, there is no alternative left except begging in the streets for their survival”.

Professor Soorya Lal Amatya made this statement on behalf of Nepal recently in Geneva, Switzerland, at the 52 session of the United Nations Sub-commission on the promotion and protection of Human Rights. Prof. Amatya’s topic had been agenda number entitled “Contemporary Forms of Slavery”.

Amatya is already back in the capital.

Professor Amatya reiterated, ” The plight of women refugees in general is very severe particularly in the developing and least developing countries. It is reported that Afghanistan refugee women in Pakistan have adopted prostitution and begging for their own survival. These refugee women and young girls are so much threatened that they do not dare talk about their plight to the investigator or outside people. They have been forced in to prostitution not by their choice. However, because of compulsion, they have to pursue prostitution for their own survival and their children. Even well educated women can’t pursue in profitable employment in Afghanistan. Some brave educated women in parts of Afghanistan have done remarkable job of establishing underground shelter for the women and child victims.

Professor Amatya goes on to say, ” The helpless women are not only forced into prostitution but even they are sold like the animals. Ms. Shehsen Burney, Vice president of Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International in her statement some time back has stated with great sorrow and grief that women are still sold in mundi in Sindh province of Pakistan. This was based on her personal observations of such barbaric practices in the area of Thar district and in some other parts of Sindh province. This sort of practices is thriving under patronage of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats not only in Pakistan but also in other developing countries. This sort of practices in my opinion, is a modified version of slavery which needs to be investigated and the public opinion needs to be mobilized nationally, regionally and globally to pressurize the concerned governments in eliminating such practices.

Giving reference to Nepal, Professor Amatya said, ” In Nepal about 5000 women are trafficked each year to big cities across the international border for selling in prostitution brothels and are fully exploited. It is in fact the very close relatives and neighbors usually for petty interest of money, the women and girl child are trafficked with promises of better jobs and good employment. They are fully exploited in prostitution. When they suffer from HIV/AIDS, they are sent back to their homes. This obviously is a modified form of slavery. INGOs and NGOs have made substantial contributing in resettling those who have returned from the prostitution and preventing quite a large number of women from trafficking. A local NGO, Maiti Nepal and other NGOs have done remarkable job in resettling such women victims and preventing from being victimized through trafficking into prostitution. I’m strongly of the view that the women and particularly girl children are to be made aware through education. There is high percentage of drop out in primary and secondary schools in Nepal. The education system needs to be further strengthened. Universal free primary education has been a policy of the Nepal government for quite long time. But we do not find effective implementation. It is only through better education, particularly of women can help in reducing women trafficking into prostitution.

Talking on bonded labor system, Professor Amatya opined, ” The bonded labor has in legal term been abolished in most of the developing countries, but the exploitation of former bonded laborers and their families are still continuing but in a modified form. This may further aggravate the plight of such laborers. My plea to the Sub-Commision is that continuous monitoring is needed. The Nepal government as stated in the statement of Mr. David Weissbrodt has legally abolished the practice of bonded labor. Well over 70,000 people in southwestern Terai districts of Nepal have been made free. However, the question persists as to how these former bonded laborers will settle down and lead a normal life. The government, of course, has declared a policy of resettling them by providing land and skill training. But how effectively this policy will be converted into action program and executed in the field is yet to be seen. The working group of Contemporary Forms of Slavery should continue to monitor the outcome of the development. I compliment and endorse the views of David Weissbrodt made on 4 August on Agenda item number 2 regarding Bhutanese refugees and abolishment of bonded labor in Nepal.