This week the issue of gender based violence has hit the
headlines again in Nepal. Two girls were studying at a tuition centre in
Kathmandu when a gang broke in and threw acid on them. This sort of headline is
sadly not uncommon here in Nepal.
No one knows for sure but it is estimated that between
5000-7000 Nepali women are trafficked into India alone each year. They are
usually promised work or sometimes a place in a boarding school, often by
someone they know, and then sold into brothels in Kathmandu or in Indian
cities.
A number of the parents of students at KISC are involved in work which aims to empower and rehabilitate those who have been marginalized by society, abused or trafficked, and provide them with a way out and the chance to start again.
Two of these families have started a business together here
to go into ethical garment manufacturing. They have named their business Purnaa
which is a Nepali word meaning whole, complete or perfect.
Unemployment in
Nepal currently stands above 40%. As a result, 15%-20% of Nepalis currently
work outside the country, often in situations that make them extremely
vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and bonded labour. Purnaa’s goal is to
create good jobs within Nepal, empowering survivors and preventing exploitation
in the future. They “envision
a Nepal with sufficient employment to reduce poverty and make possible the
eradication of modern day slavery.”
Purnaa
currently employs around 20 people, mostly women, from various different
backgrounds and are training them to produce beautiful clothes, bags and other
products to sell in the western markets. They have just released their first catalogue.
Modelling Purnaa Products |
If this is a topic you are interested in finding out more
about then BMS World Mission are currently running the “Dignity” campaign to
raise awareness about gender based violence in the UK and around the world. It
is estimated that every one of us globally will have met at least one person
who is affected by gender based violence even if we don’t know it.
This campaign provides materials for you to discuss these
issues within your churches or small groups and looks at ways you can get
involved in the UK and overseas to help bring about much needed change.