The exploitation and trafficking of children is avoidable in Nepal as well as in the rest of the world!  It is not ordained by fate. And the people of Nepal are the first to want to attack this phenomenon which is a scourge on their society.  The committees for protection put in place by Planète Enfants are there to help the villagers detect and prevent violence in their communities.

This year the committee for protection of Nuwakot earned more than 2,000 euros* thanks to its production of ginger.  This is an important sum for this severely disadvantaged rural community in the hills of Nepal.  And a better standard of living for families means the possibility of educating girls and resisting the fancy promises of trafficking agents.

But earning money is not the main objective of the committee.  In order to understand why Planète Enfants helped this group of women to gather together it is important to note: alcohol, ignorance, and poverty foster terrible domestic violence in the villages; almost every woman is a victim.  The children are often abused and neglected, forced to go to work elsewhere or even sold!  The mothers, conscious of this reality, feel quite alone to confront a violent husband or a mother-in-law obsessed with the number of mouths to feed.

This was the context for the gathering of these women and strengthening their ability to act.  In 2007 the first village committee for protection was founded and a structure for solidarity protection put in place.  Since then Planète Enfants has helped in the creation of 36 of these committees in different regions of Nepal and in the slums of Khatmandu.

The process is now well established: we invite the poorest women in the villages to literacy classes.  The simple fact of being able to write one’s name or to be able to check one’s change at the market is already a source of great pride.  Several months later those who choose can be trained in social work in order to be able to identify and assist victims of violence.  They act alone, if they are able, or they reach out to the police, a doctor, a psychologist, a lawyer… when it is necessary.  By making family visits, by helping victims, by organizing village meetings, they succeed, gradually, in eradicating violence in their community.

Naturally Planète Enfants is at their sides for many months before they can be fully autonomous.

And, as in the case of the ginger in Nuwakot, we can help them structure group activities that are income-generating, which improve their lives and help them gain the respect of their families and communities.

*The average monthly salary in Nepal is 40 euros