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Kathmandu Thursday November 30, 2000 Mangshir 15 2057.
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Stress on women’s
progress
Irecently returned from a six-week visit to
Nepal. There were twelve students from Utah State University, USA. I enjoyed the wonderful
people and natural beauty of Nepal.
I have to say however that there are some things
I don’t understand. Those things deal with the rights of women and children. There is
a big problem with young Nepali women being sold into slavery and transported to India and
the Middle East. This problem came up many times in your newspaper and others.
It would seem that a couple of simple measures
could end or at least slow the sale of these innocent girls. If the government put a
bounty on those that are involved in this trade and also on parents that knowingly sell
their daughters into slavery, I believe there would be a great reduction in this crime. I
also feel that those involved should be executed for this crime.
Those poor young girls, forced into
prostitution, might as well be dead. Their futures are gone forever. Those that someday
return to Nepal will always live in shame. Many will also return to Nepal, infected with
AIDS. Many more innocent people will die. It should be mentioned that this plague does
considerable harm to tourism in Nepal. Many nations warn tourists of the Human Rights
violations in Nepal.
The women’s rights issues, the
child-slavery issue and human rights violations by the police in Nepal are all widely
publicized throughout them world. These issues probably contribute greatly to actions
taken by the Maoist Insurgents. I noticed that many of the Maoists killed in Sri Lanka and
India are women. I’m sure that there are a large number of women in Nepal who see the
Maoist movement as their only possible hope for freedom.
Nepal is reaching out to the future but as long
as human rights violations continue, The West will never allow you to rise above being any
more than a "Developing Nation." Some say that Kali’s time is here, if this
proves to be so, God help the oppressor!
Jim shearer
Utah State University, USA |
