When I asked the survivors about their conceptual understanding on trafficking, they responded by giving details about their own trafficking experiences. Their understandings were conveyed through narratives of their own involvement in the sex
25 The literal meaning of Chelibeti Bechbikhan is selling and buying of girls/women. The term, Chelibeti
42
industry. Many survivors understood trafficking as the selling of women for the prostitution but were not able to describe it without relating it to shame.
Goma, a 27 year old woman from a remote village of Nepal came to Kathmandu for the tailoring work but was lured for a better job in Dubai by a man from her village. She ultimately became a victim of trafficking. Her response to the question, could you please tell me what you understand by Chelibeti Bechbikhan, was:
“Chelibeti Bechbikhan is a process of selling Nepali girls to the brothels in Bombay. We were sold to brothel and forced to involve in prostitution. I feel that there is no difference between us and the cattle because cattle like us have no chance to react the master [the brothel owner]. It is a matter of shame that we were forced to involve in prostitution. How can we show up our faces in our family and society, as prostitute? It is a way due to which women lose dignity and prestige as I did.’
Many informants had similar views regarding trafficking. Their understanding of trafficking was directly related to their identity in society and society’s response to them. They felt that society perceives them as prostitutes. This makes them feel ashamed and reminds them of their past experiences. Thus, their understanding of trafficking was quite different from the official definition of UN (as mentioned in chapter 2).
Ganga, 20 year old informant from janajati26 in a village near Kathmandu city, was also lured by a dream of better economic opportunities in foreign countries and was trafficked to Indian brothels. Her response to the question, what do you understand by trafficking was:
“When we go out (bazaar, street, shopping, temple etc), people start to communicate with each other using their eyes, pointing at us as women sold in Indian brothel if they saw we are coming from the hostel’. She further added that ‘although we are human beings, people treated us like animals that have no power to react. Whatever the master instruct, we were forced to follow them”.
26 Janjati refers to a group of ethnic group that constitutes various Mangolian groups residing all over the
country. Nepal Government has identified 59 Indigenous Nationalities (see http://www.nefin.org.np/component/content/article/115-information/347-indigenous-nationalities-of-nepal ).
43
Similar to Goma, Ganga did not give an elaboration of what the concept of trafficking covers. She rather started talking about her dehumanizing experiences.
As noted in chapter 2, besides prostitution, trafficking is done for many other purposes. It is estimated that 60 percent of trafficked girls/women are involved in prostitution where as remaining 40 percent are in circus, embroideries, camel joking and organ transplant (NHRCN, 2006, p. vii).
Some informants’ views were closer to the current UN official definition but at the same time associated with shame. Kamala, a 30 year old woman, who is also from near the Kathmandu city is illiterate comes from a poor family with 4 female siblings. Since it was difficult for her family to manage its daily subsistence, she decided to go and work in Kathmandu later on she was trafficked to an Indian brothel. She had different views on trafficking:
“Nepali girls/women are sold for more than prostitution. Some girls are involved in the circus industries in India. No matter what purposes they are sold, they are compelled to have forced sex. No one can disobey the order. They treat us like animals. Even a dog can react by barking or biting when the master beats it, but we could not and can’t. Even after escaping from the trafficking, girls/women are re-victimized by society. They treat us like animals that don’t have control over their bodies. Nowadays, this business is becoming huge involving many Nepali girls”.
A few informants’ views were similar to this statement. They explained that girls and women are sold not only for prostitution but also for circus and other purposes. Although their views on trafficking were focused on its purposes, they stressed dehumanization, the cattle like behaviour, which again make them feel shameful.
Like survivors of trafficking, some participants of FGDs argued that trafficking is a matter of shame for the survivors due to their involvement in the sex industry. When asked about the understanding of trafficking, they replied that it is a process of selling their chelibeti (daughters and sisters) as cattle to the devils, which kills the girls/women morally and socially. Although the girls/women’s social prestige and image is destroyed, this is shameful for their community too. This is shown in the quotes below. In a FGD in
44
Ichok area of Sindhupalchok, while a man said that trafficking is shameful for the survivors, another man aged 50 years argued that:
“It is not a matter of shame for them; they were working until they are physically exhausted and say that it is shameful when they can’t involve in prostitution. If they bring money to the family it won’t be shameful to them, but when they can’t, it would be shameful? I don’t agree with them. In reality it is a matter of shame for us because they are destroying the prestige of our society. We are seen as second class people in society because of this image they made”.