Recent NGO activities

 Chhori dwells on women’s plight

Kathmandu Post     Tuesday February 08, 2000

By a Post Reporter

 KATHMANDU, Feb 7 - Women trafficking is a major problem taking its root in villages of Nepal.Around thousand of women are trafficked or sold in a year, according to a source.

 The Centre for Legal Research and Resource Development (CeLRRD) premiered a telefilm called Chhori (Daughter) here, today, which addressed the problems of trafficking and sexual exploitation of women

 "This is an attempt to bring the issue out to a larger audience so that more awareness is created," said the coordinator of CeLRRD, Yubaraj Sangroula. "The point of the film was to use local people in the roles and create an atmosphere of trust," he said.

 Some of the local actors used had never seen a film let alone been filmed before and needed seven days training to get accustomed to the camera’s artificial gaze.

 The telefilm, directed by Prakash Jung Karki, was shot in Sindhupalchok and other areas and showed how deep-rooted prejudices held against women were more than partly responsible for the trafficking problem. It clearly and without any complexity hinted its thrust for education.

 "We intend to show the film in all the villages where we are based and working in so that attitudes towards women and girls can be changed," said Sangroula. "We believe, generally, the problem lies within individual families and this film could do a lot to shift old prejudices for the better. Poverty is not the only reason."

 "The film presents a good picture of the trafficking problem," said Caroline Bakker, Chief of the Child Protection Unit, UNICEF.

 "It could be used as advocacy material in the villages and it has touched on all the major issues of concern such as child marriage, rape and sexual exploitation," she added.

 CeLRRD has a number of lawyers working in close contact with numerous affected villages and has developed, under a revolving budget of Rs 1 million, Community Surveillance Systems to combat the problem of girls/children traficking.

 Under their management, 2,800 women are being trained in various fields and 1100 girls are receiving school education.

 Along with the screening, a music album called Mela and Mahili (Fair and Lovely), based on the film, was also released. The telefilm was made with the support of UNICEF.

Children justice centre launched

Kathmandu Post     February 08th, 1999

By a Post Reporter

 KATHMANDU, Feb 7 - Legal Aid and Consultancy Centre (LACC) formally launched a Children Justice Centre (CJC) in its premises. CJC , funded by ILO-IPEC intends to take up 100 cases of child victims to the courts in the first year.

 On the occasion, the CJC organised an interaction programme among the concerned NGOs dealing in child labour, trafficking and bondage, the Government agencies and the Nepal Police.  The representatives from Lalitpur CDO Office, Valley Police Office, Police Head Office’s Crime Investigation Women Cell, CWIN, Maiti Nepal and many other organisations participated in the seminar. The participants expressed that since CJC is the only NGO working

 for providing legal aid to the children victims of sexual abuse and exploitation, child trafficking, child labour and bondages, they will cooperate with CJC and forward all such cases to it for legal actions. CWIN has already forwarded 13 cases to it.

 Advocates Sanju Thapa and Chhatra Gurung explained the main goals of the CJC. The main goal and objectives of the CJC, they explained was to provide free legal services to children victims, who have been exploited and also seeking legal redress through court procedures. CJC will also provide counselling to the child victims, prior to entering into any prosecution. It expects that in a two-year time period some 200 cases of child exploitation will be brought to justice through this new service. LACC is working closely with such child centered NGO’s as CWIN to ascertain children who are most vulnerable and in need of such assistance.

 Dr Shanta Thapalia, President of LACC and CJC explained that child exploitation has become a widespread phenomenon in the country. She said that it consists of sexual abuse of children domestic workers by the employer and others. She also pointed to children related social maladies such as child labour, increasing trend on child prostitution, child trafficking and their abuse in the context of cultural and traditional practices such as child marriages.