s Our voice: 20 years of relentless fi ght against human traffi cking 20 years of relentless fi ght 1993 against human trafficking Inception of Maiti Nepal MAITI Nepal was born out of a crusade to protect Nepali girls and women from crimes like domestic violence, trafficking for flesh trade, child prostitution, child labor and various forms of exploitation and torture. A group of socially committed professionals like teachers, journalists and social workers together formed Maiti Nepal in 1993 to fight against all the social evils inflicted upon our female populace. Most of all, its special focus has always been on preventing trafficking for forced sexual slavery, rescuing flesh trade victims and rehabilitating them. This social organisation also actively 1 works to find justice for the victimized lot of girls and women by engaging in criminal investigation and waging legal battles against the criminals. It has highlighted the trafficking issue with its strong advocacy from the local to national and international levels. Birth of Maiti Nepal Maiti has no literal translation but it denotes a girl's real family, where she was born into. The word has a sentimental value especially for a married Nepali woman who has no longer any right towards her parents or their property. She then becomes an outsider belonging solely to her husband and her family forever. The famous song, Maiti ghar timro haina parayi ghar jau--meaning "this is not your home, you belong to an outsider (husband)" says it all. Our voice: A society free from trafficking of children and women www.maitinepal.org 20 years of relentless fi ght against human trafficking 1993 Maiti Nepal however is home to all women and girls--whether married or not--who are exploited, their rights grossly violated and neglected by family and society likewise. It was a crusade to find such victims a home for their protection from social evils that gave birth to this NGO in November 1993. It was started by a handful of conscious professionals like teachers, journalists, and social workers committed towards combating the social crimes like domestic violence, girl trafficking, child prostitution, child labour and various forms of female exploitation. 2 Objectives and target group Maiti's focus has always been on prevention of girl trafficking, a burning issue for Nepal. Rescuing girls forced into prostitution and helping to find economic alternatives have been our key struggle. The practical steps would be to counsel them and provide non-formal education on health, laws, basic reading and writing. They are also trained to develop income-generation skills and provided Maiti's shelter until they are ready to stand on their feet. The sexually abused girls, abandoned children, potential victims of trafficking, destitute women, prisoner's children, returnees from brothels located in different parts of India, girls and children infected with HIV and Hepatitis B, intercepted girls are the major target groups or say, beneficiaries of our programs. www.maitinepal.org Our voice: A society free from trafficking of children and women 20 years of relentless fi ght 1994 against human trafficking Massive Advocacy programme launched Maiti Nepal launched comprehensive programmes in ten districts, which were atrociously affected by trafficking. The advocacy comprised of street dramas, songs, dances, speeches, rallies, door to door programs, lobbying, which were of very innovative approach at that time. It instantly got the media attention and garnered accolades 3 from wider sectors of society. Maiti Nepal’s social fame and reputation multiplied exponentially. Our voice: A society free from trafficking of children and women www.maitinepal.org 20 years of relentless fi ght against human trafficking 1995 Mass awareness programme launched extensively One of the chief factors instigating trafficking is lack of awareness among the people. People are unaware of the circumstances that lead into trafficking. Most of them are illiterate, naïve, gullible and aloof from the modus operandi that traffickers use to trap girls into their evil 4 clutches. To impart adequate information to people and make them vigilant against traffickers, Maiti Nepal launched awareness programs extensively in the rural and remote areas of Nepal, which were deprived of access to communication, transportation facilities, and were ghasltly affected by human trafficking atrocity. Districts like Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk were targeted and awareness programmes were carried out widely and comprehensively. www.maitinepal.org Our voice: A society free from trafficking of children and women 20 years of relentless fi ght 1996 against human trafficking Rescue mission initiated Ever since its establishment in 1993 AD, Maiti Nepal initiated its mission of rescuing trafficked girls and women. Though in its early years, the spirit and enthusiasm was not less from any angle. Everyone involved was adorned with utter vigour and commitment. The Chairperson of Maiti Nepal took the lead to rescue 5 trafficked girls. The task was tough and challenging. Maiti Nepal coordinated with organisations of India and Indian police. Raid operations were carried out in the brothels of Mumbai. 16 girls and women were rescued, who were later repatriated to Nepal . After extending the rehabilitation services, these girls/women were finally reintegrated to their families. First prevention Home Established in Nuwakot district In 1996, prevention home, the first of its kind was established in Nuwakot district. Ever since its establishment ,the prevention home has been providing residential trainings to the girls who are Our voice: A society free from trafficking of children and women www.maitinepal.org 20 years of relentless fi ght against human trafficking 1996 at high risk of being trafficked. The comprehensive training package comprises of trainings on income generation, capacity building and leadership enhancement. After the successful completion of trainings, girls and women are transformed as social activists who can fight against human traffickers in their locality. Maiti Nepal and other organizations repatriated 128 girls from various brothels of India. This operation was 6 conducted solely by civil society organizations without the involvement of government. Repatriation of girls in such a huge number brought sensation among various agencies and a kind of message/awareness was generated among the general public about girl trafficking atrocity. www.maitinepal.org Our voice: A society free from trafficking of children and women 20 years of relentless fi ght 1997 against human trafficking Three Transit Homes established Porous border with India has been identified as one of the chief push factors of Trafficking. The illicit business has fostered because of the open border, 7 poor state visibility and inadequate vigilance of the civil society organizations. Owing to those necessity and facts, Maiti Nepal established three transit homes in the districts of Jhapa, Rupandehi and Parsa to exert stringent border patrolling mechanism and thereby intercept the girls and women who are at the verge of being trafficked. Survivors of trafficking were stationed at Nepal-India border as border surviallance monitors and trained in various skills to identify traffickers. Their experience coupled with the trainings, have enabled them intercept girls and prevent potential cases of trafficking. In the same year, prevention home were established in Makwanpur (October) and Nawalparasi (November) districts. These two districts are predominantly affected by trafficking. With the establishment of prevention homes in those districts, initiatives to combat the atrocity got expanded. Our voice: A society free from trafficking of children and women www.maitinepal.org 20 years of relentless fi ght against human trafficking 1998 SAGT programme launched Students have always been the focal point of Maiti Nepal’s intervention as alert, informed and able students responsible for making future of any country secure. Maiti Nepal initiated the SAGT (Students Against Girls 8 Trafficking) programme in three districts Sindhupalchowk, Nuwakot and Chitwan districts. The main objective was mobilizing students on anti trafficking works. Inculcated proper information, enabled them realize their potentials and encouraged them to contribute in anti trafficking activities. Orientations, workshops, rallies, publications, field works, counseling were the notable features of the programmes. Later on, SAGT was replicated to other districts as well. In August 1998, Prince Charles of United Kingdom visited Maiti Nepal. The royal visit was a milestone in availing Maiti Nepal a new level of fame and recognition. In November 1998, a Transit Home was established at Biratnagar of Morang district. www.maitinepal.org Our voice: A society free from trafficking of children and women 20 years of relentless fi ght against human trafficking 9 In August 1998, Prince Charles of United Kingdom visited Maiti Nepal Our voice: A society free from trafficking of children and women www.maitinepal.org 20 years of relentless fi ght against human trafficking 1999 Hospice established in Jhapa The first Hospice of Maiti Nepal was established in Jhapa, eastern part of Nepal. The hospice was established to provide intensive care to the children, girls and women who were suffering from long term infirmities. 10 Sick persons are discriminated and stigmatized in Nepalese societies. In most of the cases, their right to participation, equality and justice are violated.