Annually, there are more than 40 million people trafficked around the world, 25% of which are children. Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry.
In Nepal, more than 12,000 children each year are trafficked into India, across the long, open border between the two countries.
The majority of children trafficked are girls who are sold into prostitution. Others are victims of child marriage or domestic slavery. Boys are often trapped into bonded labour. Then there are those who are sold for their organs.
“Traffickers promise education, meals and a better future but the reality is that many children could end up being horrendously exploited and abused,”
says UNICEF Nepal Representative Tomoo Hozumi.
We ask you to help fight child trafficking and aid victims of child trafficking to recover and lead full lives.
How We Work with Victims of Child Trafficking
At Beyond the Orphanage we support a number of children who are victims of child trafficking.
Our wonderful local caregivers and social workers look after these children who have nowhere to go.
We don’t believe in institutional care. Beyond the Orphanage takes a different approach. (hyperlink to About Us on the words Beyond the Orphanage) We provide family-style care where the victims of child trafficking receive much needed emotional support. Our homes accommodate up to ten children in a safe and welcoming environment.
Children who are victims of trafficking are traumatised and their road to recovery can be difficult.
In addition to a safe haven, children who have been trafficked need expert care in long-term trauma counselling.
Our social workers are amazing at what they do, and our housemothers are the most loving people you could meet. But they are not specialists in psychological care. In Nepal, in the communities we work in, there are no mental health services for victims of child trafficking.
How do you deal with the horrors of being sold into prostitution? It is hard to imagine what these little people go through. This is why specialist trauma counselling is what victims of child trafficking need desperately.
WARNING: Child Traffickers Hiding Behind Orphanages
Children are also victims of “orphan trafficking” where unscrupulous orphanage operators buy trafficked children to attract funding.
UNICEF reports that, “In some cases children are deliberately separated from their families and placed in orphanages so they can be used to attract adoptive families, fee-paying volunteers and donors”.
You can have confidence that Beyond the Orphanage has stringent practices that ensure our local partners are legitimate professionals. We also have eyes on the ground too, with our Child Sponsorship Coordinator Kerry Pryor now based in Nepal.
Say no to child trafficking and help us fight this heinous, growing global problem. Stand with us today against child trafficking.
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