Child Prostitution in Nepal
Every year, thousands of Nepalese girls, some as young as 11 are sent to or procured for brothels in the big Indian cities, like Bombay or Calcutta.
They are often the daughters of poor farming families, where everyone must help with the family income. Girls have little or no earning potential, and if they are to marry need substantial dowries. So, when the middleman arrives in the village, and promises parents cash in return for taking the girls to work in India, or perhaps in "the circus", and that they will be fed, housed and cared for, the offer is hard to resist.
In reality, many of these girls are taken to work in Indian brothels, where new, young girls are much sought after, and their families may never hear from them again.
In the Makawanpur district of Nepal, Plan has been working to prevent young girls from being trafficked by raising the status of women in the villages, setting up work co-operatives and improving education and awareness of the dangers posed by the middlemen.
The co-operatives take part in a range of activities, including the raising of crops, vegetable and fruit, beekeeping, raising goats and weaving. Their income means that communities can become self-sufficient, with the funds to send their children - and particularly their daughters - to school.
In addition, children in schools are taught about the middlemen, parents are also warned and street dramas are performed around the district to teach communities about the dangers of trafficking.
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