One girl’s story

Sita was one of up to 10,000 girls aged between 9 and 16 who are sold into prostitution every year in Nepal. These girls work in fortress-like brothels where violence, sexual assault and intimidation are routine. According to one newspaper report: ‘with hard work and an unending stream of customers, the girls can pay off their ‘debts’ to the brothel owners in six or seven years of continuous labour – if they don’t die of AIDS first.’

In some ways, Sita has been lucky. She escaped, is still alive, and takes part in a Plan project that for six years has been rehabilitating trafficked children. With a Nepali partner organisation, we’ve helped thousands of children begin new lives. Our work in Nepal has been so successful that we want to repeat it in Togo, where child trafficking has been blighting the lives of a generation.

“I was 15 years old when I was trafficked to Bombay. My parents could not afford my schooling so I used to look after cattle, work in the field and help my mother in household work. My father was alcoholic since my early childhood. I felt very bad when I saw my friends of my age going to school, but my father never bothered.

“One day, I met with a man while I was grazing animals in the field. After some moment when he started talking to me, another man joined us. Then they closed my eyes with a handkerchief and I guess I fainted. When I recovered my sense, I found myself in a train where I was offered a mango drink. Perhaps I was intoxicated. From the railway station I was taken to a hotel by rickshaw where I was introduced to a woman. She introduced herself as the ‘manager’.

“I was offered a plate of rice with chicken. I asked them why they had brought me there, they said they were only trying to help me to find a job. The lady then took me somewhere by jeep, but now the men were not with us.

“I don't know why but it was in that moment that I realised that the place where I was being taken was a brothel and the men had sold me. I was shocked and felt terrible; my mother was sick at home; I was scared and started worrying about my family. I felt I would die there.

“News spread that a 'new girl' had arrived. Everybody used to speak a different dialect. I could not understand them. The men offered to take me to hotels, I denied, I prayed to the brothel owner to let me go, but she only used to say that she owned me, as she had paid to the traffickers. In order to go back I had to pay back the amount.

“Things were all right for 2 or 3 weeks, but after that I was asked to get dressed up, put on makeup and attract the customers. When I denied I was beaten. I was told I would be handed over to a group of eunuchs who would bury me alive.

“It was then that these men - 2 or 3 - raped me. They played music so loud that my screaming was suppressed in the room. I cried but I could not do anything else.

“The work started in the morning until late at night. More clients used to come during daytime and I had to serve from 20 to 25 customers per day. I felt awful and always used to cry. I wanted to die rather than living such a miserable life.

“I wanted to escape somehow but it seemed impossible. There were huge iron gates and the glass windows were latched all the time. I knew that it was impossible to run away from there. Sometime I used to ask my clients to help me escape from there but most of them were married and had family. Where would they take me?
 
“Escape from the brothel seemed impossible until I met a man who said that he stayed in Hetauda (Sita’s village). I sent a letter and a photo to my family with him. When he reached home with these things my father demanded to bring me back immediately.

When the man returned he told the story to us, and also to Didi (the brothel owner). I don't know what the man did or what she was thinking, but suddenly she gave me Rs 8,000 (£60) - my pay for four hard years in the brothel - and permitted me to go home. I was almost 20 years old.

“Then after some time, I started getting sick. I felt very weak. I had fever and sore on my breasts. The local Plan social worker came to visit me and her advice for me was to go to a doctor right away. So I went for a medical check-up with Plan's assistance. I was found HIV positive.

“Trafficked returnees are blamed for spreading HIV/AIDS. I felt so bad and helpless. Plan provided me a financial assistance of Rs 15,000 (approx £100) to start a grocery shop in the village for my livelihood.

“I am still capable enough to do light work. Now I am staying with my mother and sister. My future plan is to establish a small business of spice grinding, packing and labelling. Plan is going to support this project.

“Finally, I want to say to all Nepal girls, be careful, be watchful. You do not want my life.”

This project in Nepal has been so successful that we want to repeat it in Togo to give other children a proper start in life.  One without hunger, disease, exploitation and fear.  

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