Dissemination Of Effective Information
To Prevent Girl Trafficking

By Prakash Khanal

IT IS very difficult to get a precise date on the genesis of girl trafficking in Nepal. Himalayan belles from the remote area of Sindhupalchowk and Helambu were favourites of the Rana autocrats during their 104-year. They were brought to the Rana Palaces and kept as concubines. Some of them were even elevated to the level of legal consorts. The change in their fate from rags to riches began with their entrance in the Palaces encouraged other parents too to send their daughters in service of the Ranas.

No Choice

Like any other feudal lords, the Ranas used to throw the girls out of their Palaces after they lost their interest in them. Once they were out of the Palace and when the little "Baksis" (cash and jewels) given to them finished they were probably left with no choice but to do petty jobs. Used to the luxury of Rana Palaces some of them might have preferred prostitution to trivial jobs. Some of them even crossed into India and settled in the red light area of Varanashi, Patna and Calcutta in the early days. The legacy, however, goes on forever with such magnitude that it has brought disgrace to the entire nation.

A lot of talk and heated discussion about girl trafficking have been going on for a long time now. It is difficult to tell how many NGOs have been established to curb the problem or resettle the girls whose fate brought them back from the hellish chambers of Indian brothels. Innumerable numbers of national and international seminars and conferences have been organised to discuss this problem. Uncountable numbers of glossy reports and books have been written. There is no record of how much money has been spent to help the poor victims living in the grinding poverty in the Nepalis hills. But, even after all this, their fate hasn’t changed much whereas the people behind the organisations have become rich and famous celebrities decorated with accolades from around the world.

Nepalese government even established a separate Ministry of Women and Social Welfare (MWSW) five years ago to seriously address the problems related with women population. The MWSW also drafted a 21 point National Action Plan to mitigate the problem of girl trafficking a few years ago but it remains in the draft form. Girl trafficking had been made an agenda in 1998 in Sri Lanka during the Summit of the Heads of the State of South Asia as the status of women remains at par or even worse in other six SAARC member states. The problem remains much the same. Is there anything wrong with our understanding of the problem or the programmes that have been initiated to deal with it? What is lacking in our effort to curb the problem while so many agencies are engaged in it? Is there anything wrong with approach to the problem? Or, is it our understanding of the problem and mechanism to deal with it which needs a fresh look?

One approach that has been greatly overlooked but which could be very effective to deal with the problem of trafficking is the awareness building and advocacy campaigns at the affected areas. Greater emphasis should be laid on the mechanism to arrest the strength of mass media to raise the general awareness of the people. Only the communication of right information in the form of right messages through the use of right channels of communication has the power to influence the knowledge, attitude and the practices which lies deeply rooted in centuries old beliefs, religion and culture.

It is very important to study how and from what sources the villagers obtain information. Such a study will help us determine what media could be effective in influencing their behaviour and social practices. Identification of the right channels of communication used by them and properly composed messages are the two basic facts when it comes to the dissemination of information in the rural areas. The need of the hour is, thus, to initiate a sustained form of mass media campaign vis-a-vis other supplementary activities such as formal and informal literacy programmes, skill training, human rights and legal awareness at the grassroots level.

Their need is correct information but the choice of communication channel available to them is awfully limited. They are barely literate. They have no access to Nepal Television (NTV) until now as there is no electricity and even on places where there is electricity NTV signals are not available nationwide. NTV covers only around 40 per cent of the Nepalis territory.

Radio broadcasting, which is quite advanced and established here, could be very effective way to communicate with people all over Nepal. There are nearly ten FM Stations catering to the public in major cities. The state owned Radio Nepal is the only one which covers 100 per cent of the Nepalese territory through its Medium Wave, Short Wave broadcasting and the regional transmitting stations and studios located in Dharan, Dhankutta, Bardibas, Pokhara, Surkhet and Dipyal. Despite its accessibility and importance very little or no time is devoted to disseminate information on girl trafficking in radio broadcasting.

Interpersonal communication with the villagers could probably be the best form of communication but its demanding nature on physical, financial and human resources makes it an expensive choice. But certainly trained volunteers laced with interpersonal communication skills, flip charts and posters could make the desired dent in their social behaviours. Besides the interpersonal communication there are a number of other forms of communication channels and processes an understanding of which could be equally useful.

People living in the villages are starving when it comes to entertainment. Cultural programmes, religious festivals, fairs and weekly markets in the villages are important sources of their information and entertainment. Video and television, films and documentaries fascinate them. They could be made aware of reality effortlessly by screening well-researched documentaries and videos about the problem. Other effective ways of information dissemination could be the use of wall newspaper which is very successful in Nepal as a source of information as well as a post literacy material for the newly literate.

Besides initiating nationwide information campaigns using all existing forms of electronic, non-electronic and traditional forms of communication there are a number of initiatives which the government must do without any delay. Radio, television and newspapers are filled with statutory warning about HIV/AIDS, condom use, family planning, drug, alcohol and smoking. There are billboards which talk about different brands of alcohol, cigarette, cars and condoms but none of them talks about the problem of girl trafficking.

The government can, at least, begin by erecting hoarding signboards all along the Nepalis highways and border entry points and in cities and rural centres affected girl trafficking and prostitution, HIV/AIDS and other forms of domestic violence against women. This will have direct impact on the girls who are being duped in the name of a better paying job within the country but are smuggled to India and Gulf countries.

Message

"We get to see so many advertisements in the Nepal Television about AIDS, anti-smoking and we also see the photographs of lost people but how come we never see any advertisements informing us about girls trafficking," said Puja, a rescued girl, who works for Women’s Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC) in Kathmandu. "If there is any message about how girls are cheated by labour contractors, brokers then lots of them working in houses and carpet industries would become alert".

Other Stories

• Procession of Newspapers