{"id":3481,"date":"2019-09-25T07:11:52","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T07:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/?p=3481"},"modified":"2019-09-25T07:11:52","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T07:11:52","slug":"nepals-mother-teresa-has-rescued-over-18000-girls-from-sex-trafficking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/2019\/09\/25\/nepals-mother-teresa-has-rescued-over-18000-girls-from-sex-trafficking\/","title":{"rendered":"Nepal\u2019s \u2018Mother Teresa\u2019 Has Rescued Over 18,000 Girls from Sex Trafficking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anuradha Koirala works to help exploited Nepali women and children sold into sex slavery.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/882832310\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe height=\"395\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/882832310?et=yz6bKN0sSupuMHflNh5PgA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=GekqhqHMMyFpfCL90h1Wkg-h6qyDQamIRa9AIY6Bm9Y=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why Global Citizens Should Care<\/strong><em>Sex trafficking takes agency, education opportunities, and hope for a better future away from young girls around the world. Governments can help solve this issue by adopting and enforcing human trafficking laws and strengthening laws to protect women and girls. Establishing gender equality is a key part of eradicating global poverty. Join us in taking action&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalcitizen.org\/action\/levelthelaw\"><em>here<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Inspired by Mother Teresa, Anuradha Koirala always knew she was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/maitinepal.org\/about-us\/biography-of-anuradha-koirala\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">destined to serve<\/a>&nbsp;people. So she became a teacher, educating young children in Kathmandu, Nepal. But after two decades, she decided to pursue&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/maitinepal.org\/about-us\/biography-of-anuradha-koirala\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">an even greater calling<\/a>: protecting women and girls from abuse, trafficking, and exploitation.Sign Now:Every Woman Has a Right to Control Her FutureTAKE ACTIONMore Info<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On her morning walks past the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu in the early 1990s, Koirala would regularly encounter women begging on the street. She was drawn to them and began to engage the women in conversation \u2014&nbsp;they all told her that they had been victims of some type of gender-based violence, she recalled in her&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=on3-H9YFviQ\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2015 TEDx Talk<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Koirala was far too familiar with their pain, having suffered&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2010\/LIVING\/04\/29\/cnnheroes.koirala.nepal\/index.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">extreme physical abuse<\/a>&nbsp;at the hands of her ex-husband.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Every day, there was battering. And then I had three miscarriages that I think [were] from the beating. It was very difficult because I didn&#8217;t know in those days where to go and report [it], who to&#8230;talk to,\u201d she&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2010\/LIVING\/04\/29\/cnnheroes.koirala.nepal\/index.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">told CNN<\/a>&nbsp;in 2010.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her decision to change careers was triggered by her traumatic personal experience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Koirala began educating the women about gender-based violence and the empowerment of women. She offered to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=on3-H9YFviQ\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">help them support themselves<\/a>&nbsp;if they stopped begging on the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first, just eight women took her up on her offer, and she gave them 1,000 rupees each from her meager earnings to start small street shops. Through a portion of their profit \u2014 the two rupees that Koirala would collect from each of them daily \u2014 she was then able to provide security and economic opportunity to other women in need.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Soon after, she took her mission a step further,\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/maitinepal.org\/about-us\/biography-of-anuradha-koirala\/\" target=\"_blank\">founding the nonprofit<\/a>\u00a0Maiti Nepal in 1993, through which she has served exploited women and children for the last 26 years. Throughout her career as a humanitarian and activist, she has specifically\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2010\/LIVING\/04\/29\/cnnheroes.koirala.nepal\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">focused on tackling sex trafficking<\/a>, a rampant industry that forces young girls from underprivileged communities across the India-Nepal border to be sold into sex slavery.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese are poor regions with high illiteracy rates. If a relative or friend turns up offering someone a job, it is often the girls\u2019 parents themselves who encourage them to go, without realizing what is really happening,\u201dshe told&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2019\/feb\/08\/the-girl-sold-at-11-helps-police-save-nepal-trafficking-victims\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the Guardian<\/a>. \u201cIt is the perfect breeding ground for traffickers.\u201d&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/649635930\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe height=\"395\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/649635930?et=_XHGWZRWRixk_vfzUkEaPA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=7fNZShWdGORmWbbJ9OxsQ-RLzxjtYuABmM6iyext1e4=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Maiti Nepal, which now caters to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/maitinepal.org\/about-us\/biography-of-anuradha-koirala\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">over 1,000 children<\/a>, has grown to include three prevention homes through which at-risk girls are identified and educated on the dangers of trafficking. The organization also runs 11 transit homes that operate as immediate shelters for rescued girls, two hospices that treat women and children infected with HIV\/AIDS, and a formal school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Koirala is 70 years old and, touted as Nepal\u2019s own \u201cMother Teresa,\u201d continues to fight against sex trafficking through her organization, which hosts&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/maitinepal.org\/about-us\/biography-of-anuradha-koirala\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a series of initiatives<\/a>, including awareness campaigns, female empowerment programs, and skills training sessions for children and women.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maiti Nepal, in collaboration with local law enforcement, regularly conducts&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/maitinepal.org\/about-us\/biography-of-anuradha-koirala\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rescue operations<\/a>&nbsp;and patrols&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pulitzercenter.org\/reporting\/cnn-hero-fight-against-sex-trafficking-continues\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">26 points<\/a>&nbsp;on the India-Nepal border in an effort to stop trafficking. The organization has saved over 18,000 girls since the founding of Maiti Nepal, Koirala said at the Global Peace Leadership Conference in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalpeace.org\/speech\/mrs-anuradha-koirala-speaks-about-women-leadership-gplc-2012-seoul\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2012<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I see their pain \u2014 their mental pain as well as physical pain \u2014 it is so troubling that I cannot turn myself away. This gives me strength to fight and root this crime out,\u201d she said in a phone interview with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/borgenproject.org\/koirala-fighting-human-trafficking\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Borgen Project<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maiti Nepal also assists in the\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/maitinepal.org\/about-us\/biography-of-anuradha-koirala\/\" target=\"_blank\">apprehension of trafficking criminals<\/a>\u00a0and has aided in the prosecution of over\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.globalpeace.org\/speech\/mrs-anuradha-koirala-speaks-about-women-leadership-gplc-2012-seoul\" target=\"_blank\">700 traffickers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While some survivors of sex trafficking are able to recover from their trauma and go on to live full lives, Koirala\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=on3-H9YFviQ\" target=\"_blank\">recognizes that not all are so lucky<\/a>. Some survivors contract HIV, and require antiretroviral therapy to control the virus. The treatment can slow its progression and reduce the chances of transmission, so the organization also offers access to the treatment to affected women and children. Its two hospice centers provide those suffering from AIDS a safe place and comfortable place to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/125552487\" target=\"_blank\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe height=\"403\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/125552487?et=4WmM7P5-Q41Uh7swW58-qg&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=7ztDdL9T-MIh-AxjsZthBbIRGeW_jFBJmohgV9tZ6bc=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Koirala has been widely recognized for her work and has been awarded numerous local and international awards, including the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/borgenproject.org\/koirala-fighting-human-trafficking\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Padma Shri<\/a>, India\u2019s fourth-highest civilian award. She was also named the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZLhNh6D5yWw\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CNN Hero of the Year<\/a>&nbsp;in 2010, for which she won $125,000 to further her work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJust imagine what would happen if your daughter was standing there, and if your daughter was there, what would you do? How would you fight? So you have to join hands. You have to take each child as your daughter,\u201d she&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EpMX1eSVWpY\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a>&nbsp;in a video played during the 2010 CNN Heroes program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI want a society free of human trafficking,\u201d she added, as tears welled in her eyes. \u201cI hope I will make it happen one day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anuradha Koirala works to help exploited Nepali women and children sold into sex slavery. Embed from Getty Images Why Global Citizens Should CareSex trafficking takes agency, education opportunities, and hope for a better future away from young girls around the world. Governments can help solve this issue by adopting and enforcing human trafficking laws and [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"tpgb_global_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-trafficking","category-news"],"tpgb_featured_images":{"full":["https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/SEX-TRAFFICKING.jpg",800,450,false],"tp-image-grid":["https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/SEX-TRAFFICKING.jpg",700,394,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/SEX-TRAFFICKING-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/SEX-TRAFFICKING-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/SEX-TRAFFICKING-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/SEX-TRAFFICKING.jpg",800,450,false],"default":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-content\/plugins\/the-plus-addons-for-block-editor\/assets\/images\/tpgb-placeholder.jpg"},"tpgb_post_meta_info":{"get_date":"September 25, 2019","get_modified_date":"September 25, 2019","category_list":{"category":[{"term_id":39,"name":"Human Trafficking","slug":"human-trafficking","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":39,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Human Trafficking News and Updates","parent":0,"count":61,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":19,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":19,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":238,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":false,"post_format":false},"author_name":"Hope To Heal","author_url":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/author\/hope2233\/","author_email":"webmaster@hopetoheal.org.za","author_website":"","author_description":"Our mission is for women and children to live free from violence and abuse and to provide quality, compassionate, and nonjudgmental services in a manner that fosters self-respect and independence in persons experiencing domestic violence and child abuse and to lead the struggle to end domestic violence through advocacy and community education.","author_facebook":"","author_twitter":"","author_instagram":"","author_role":["administrator"],"author_firstname":"Hope To","author_lastname":"Heal Foundation","user_login":"Hope2233","author_avatar":"<img alt='' src='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/00ba9733f71edb9653d7f34fee6719bfc21db4d30ee7e9a8d61ac758d1032f46?s=200&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g' srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/00ba9733f71edb9653d7f34fee6719bfc21db4d30ee7e9a8d61ac758d1032f46?s=400&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-200 photo' height='200' width='200' decoding='async'\/>","author_avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/00ba9733f71edb9653d7f34fee6719bfc21db4d30ee7e9a8d61ac758d1032f46?s=96&d=mm&r=g","comment_count":0,"post_likes":0,"post_views":0},"tpgb_post_category":{"category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/category\/human-trafficking\/\" alt=\"Human Trafficking\"  class=\"category-human-trafficking\">Human Trafficking<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/category\/news\/\" alt=\"News\"  class=\"category-news\">News<\/a> "},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3481"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3482,"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481\/revisions\/3482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.hopetoheal.org.za\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}