Over 80 pc trafficked women never return home

Post Report

BIRGUNJ, Dec 15 - A study jointly conducted by the General Welfare Academy (GWA) reports that of the total number of Nepali women lured to work in Indian brothels, 33 per cent are trafficked by their own boyfriends, 28 per cent by their husbands, 11 per cent by their relatives and the remaining 30 per cent by brokers.

The study was jointly conducted by GWA and Bhoruwa, an Indian NGO, in Nepal and in Calcutta and Mujaffarpur in India. The report, which focused its research mainly on the causes, routes and life styles of women sold into Indian brothels, was presented at the eighth Indo-Nepal Cross Border Consultancy meeting, Thursday.

Bhoruwa’s representative, Poonam Mehta, said that cases of women being trafficked through the Janakpur-Jaleshowr route has also come to light, after anti-women trafficking activities were heavily concentrated in a couple of districts like Sindhupalchowk.

Mehta also revealed that, more than 80 per cent of the trafficked women never returned home again and their lives were endangered as they were ignorant about HIV/AIDS.

The Chief Guest, SDM Bhgawanchand Das, speaking at the meeting said that the spread of sexually transmitted diseases could be curtailed if all adhered to the single partner principle.

Country Director of Female Health International, Dr Jim Rose, stated that the cross border problem could be resolved by taking joint action across the border.

Nepal urges newspapers to be sensitive to burning issues

BUTWAL , Dec 15 (RSS) - Leader of the opposition party and General Secretary of the CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that the newspapers published across the country should be sensitive towards the burning issues of the country and be sympathetic towards the grievances and difficulties being faced by the general people.

General secretary Nepal while releasing a Mechi-Kali Sandesh, a national daily vernacular published by the Mechi Kali Multi-Purpose cooperative the other day, said initiative on the part of the journalists is the need of the day so as to give a momentum to the movement meant for safeguarding nationalism, democracy and liberating the people.

Journalists should shoulder the responsibilities for organising and awakening the general masses and for taking the democracy down to the hutment of the poor, he urged and called for giving high priority in maintaining fairness, impartiality and objectivity in the news report in consistent with goals of the newspaper and its professional ethics.

MP Surya Prasad Pradhan observed that the newspaper could win the credibility if they flashed out the factual and true news.

MP and central member of CPN-ML Pradeep Kumar Gyawali called on the fourth estate to shun the misleading and disappointing news that can confuse the people.

MP Ram Chandra Bhattarai said that as the pen of a journalist can prove disastrous, journalists should not undermine the morality and integrity.

Ex-minister and CPN-ML central member Bishnu Poudel expressed the view that the newspapers should stand for the good of the nation and its populace.

During the programme chaired by Nandi Keshar Dhakal, Butwal Municipality mayor Bhoj Prasad Shrestha, central Ex-vice Chairman Karna Bahadur Karki, Federation of Nepalese Journalist, Rupendehi district president Binod Pahadi and Chief Eeditor of the Mechi Kali Sandesh Bharat Pokharel also expressed their views.

Law practitioners announce candidacy

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 15 - Thirty-six law practitioners have announced their candidacy for the Nepal Bar Association Central Committee election to be held on January 13, 2001.

Fifteen people, from both the pro-Congress and pro-Communist groups, have applied to the post of a president, five vice-presidents (one from each developmental regions), a secretary and a treasurer. However, Prayag Dutt Bhatt (pro-congress) has been the only one to file the candidacy from the Far Western developmental region as a vice-president.

Twenty-one people have filed their candidacy for the total post of nine members, of which 11 are from the pro-Communist groups. Basanta Ram Bhandari (pro-congress) and Sindhunath Pyakurel (pro-Communist) are the presidential candidates.

The pro-congress group includes Chudamani Acharya from eastern region, Bhisnu Prasad Bhattarai from mid-east region, Kamala Mohan Wagle from western region, and Udaya Bahadur Pachai from mid-western region for the post of vice-presidents, Rajan Dhungana for secretary and Baburaja Joshi for treasurer.

The pro-Communist group’s candidates for the post of vice-president are Narayan Prasad Yadav, Bhumi Kharel, Ram Prasad Ghimire, Govinda Prasad Sharma from five developmental regions, for secretary is Satish Krishna Kharel and for the treasurer are Mahesh Nepal.

Badi women seek employment and equality

Post Report

LAMAHI, Dang, Dec 15 - About 100 women Thursday from the Badi community from seven districts staged a silent rally in Ghorahi, the district headquarters, demanding alternative employment opportunities. The Badi womenfolk are employed as sex-workers.

The Badi women from Dang, Salyan, Pyuthan, Banke, Bardiya, Surkhet and Arghakhanchi submitted a five-point appeal, including demands of alternative employment opportunities, birth registration of children through prostitution and social and legal equality.

Meanwhile, a preparatory planning workshop cum seminar began here today, in order to work out alternative opportunities for the Badi women. Opening the seminar, District Development Committee Chairman Bharat KC said that living conditions in the Tharu and Badi communities had not improved in spite of an influx of foreign assistance from many non-governmental organisations.

KC pointed out that first of all, the Badi women should themselves be committed to quitting the flesh trade if they were serious about shifting to other professions. About 40 Badi women are participating in the two-day programme.

"Refugee be verified on two categories"

Post Report

BHADRAPUR, Jhapa, Dec 15-The Bhutanese Refugee Repatriation Committee on Thursday called on Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, and demanded that the refugees be verified on the basis of Bhutanese and non-Bhutanese categories only.

A memorandum handed over to the Prime Minister stated that, only a few Bhutanese will be repatriated if the refugee verification process is carried out as per the stance of the Bhutanese government.

However, Nepal and Bhutan have already agreed on classifying the refugees into four categories: genuine Bhutanese, Bhutanese who willingly emigrated from their country, Bhutanese with criminal backgrounds and non-Bhutanese.

The memorandum also cautioned the government to be careful over Bhutan’s cunning stance in dealing with the problem. Over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees have been languishing in seven camps in eastern Nepal for the last ten years.

Meanwhile, the Mechi Hospital Development Committee requested PM Koirala to expand the Mechi hospital capacity from 50 to 100 beds.

Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Punya Bahadur Thapa, said that current facilities available at the hospital are nominal compared to the growing population in the region.

Likewise, PM Koirala laid the foundation stone of a concrete bridge to be built over Deuniya river in Prithvi Nagar VDC-5. Director General of the Department of Roads and Transport, Ananda Prasad Khanal, said that the 82 meter long and five meter wide bridge would be completed at the cost of nearly Rs 50 million within two years. It is hoped that more than 100,000 people from the area will benefit from the completion of the bridge.