Rescuing Women from Slavery

What does this project aim to achieve?

It is estimated that up to 15,000 Nepali girls are smuggled over the border into Indian brothels every year. Hope for Nepal rescues and provides a safe place for girls and women who have been involved in the trafficking process.

One of the many tragedies surrounding the trafficking industry is that once a girl has been abused, her family is likely to reject her, not wanting to share in the shame that she suffers. Although what happened to her is not her fault, the girl will usually take the blame. This project targets the issue on a number of different levels; prevention, made possible through education, anti-trafficking booths on the India/Nepal border to catch traffickers in the act, and rehabilitation through education and vocational programs designed to give the girls a more promising future.

Who does this project help?

This project will directly affect girls who either have been or were about to be trafficked. The Safe Haven currently accommodates thirteen girls – already exceeding expected growth – but there are thousands more in desperate need of hope. Asian Aid is looking to purchase land to expand the facilities and allow for more girls to be rescued and given a second chance at life.

The educational radio programs also help an unnumbered mass of women and girls who become aware of the “stranger danger” message and avoid being trafficked. Entire communities benefit from the prevention message simply by having their girls remain safe. There are some communities in Nepal where nearly every girl between the age of 12 and 21 has been trafficked.

Why has Asian Aid chosen this project?

The sex industry in Nepal is small but sadly growing – however, in neighboring India, it is booming. Girls from remote Nepali tribes are often targeted because they are fair-skinned and usually uneducated. Without an education, girls are incredibly vulnerable to the tricks that traffickers use – false offers of jobs or marriage, luring them with promises of a better future.

When will this project begin and/or end?

The Women's Safe Haven began in September 2010 and has been growing steadily since. The project is on-going and will remain in place as long as it remains relevant and effective.

What can you do to help?

Hope for Nepal is a project of Asian Aid which needs to raise $300,000 towards the Women's Safe Haven for expansion and development. You can help us give hope today by donating specifically to this project. Click 'Donate Now' to contribute or call us now at 423-910-0667 with your credit card details.