Páginas Geographic - Issue 3 2015
1
48 e sense of hopelessness overcame me, and in my desperation, I turned to Mercy Ministries, a free- of-charge Christian residential programme for girls who need help with their life-controlling issues. At Mercy, I learned life skills, how to set boundaries, and processed my emotional wounds with the most loving staff; a considerable part of the healing was through my faith. e most memorable moment was when I finally came to realise that the abuse was not my fault, and that, as a child, I knew no beer. I graduated from the programme in 2012. Now at 29 years old, I have a burning desire to concentrate on the link between sex trafficking and pornography, as it relates strongly to at-risk youth all over the world. While forced prostitution is widely recognised and feared, many are hardly cognisant of the fact that they are a victim of sex trafficking, routinely and fearfully performing under a watchful eye with a camera in hand. Lile do they know that their acts will then be sold for a paltry sum, a form of perverse enjoyment for the viewer behind the screen. I started my own clothing collection and with the help of Elegantees – an organisation aiming to build a bright future for victims of sex trafficking through sewing work and a positive source of income – debuted at New York Fashion Week on February 13, 2015. My clothes are made by women in a safe house in Nepal who are paid a fair wage. A large portion of profits are given to aſtercare services that work with survivors of child sex trafficking. Why Nepal? As I am of Indian descent, and was born in Kolkata, this mission is close to my heart. Child sex trafficking is arguably one of Nepal’s most pressing social issues. e fairer-skinned Nepalese girls are prized in Indian brothels, and a lack of education means they are innocent to “stranger danger”. Between 5,000 and 15,000 Nepali girls are trafficked over the Indian border every year, mostly from northern central Nepal. top A young girl entertains drunken men, one of them a police officer aſter duty hours, at the Kandupatti Brothel, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She ensures that the customers get everything they want… The most memorable moment was when I finally came to realise that the abuse was not my fault, and that, as a ild, I knew no beer. PHOTO MAJORITY WORLD/UIG VIA GETTY IMAGES
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Página N.Geographic 2015
Transcript of Páginas Geographic - Issue 3 2015
48
The sense of hopelessness overcame me, and inmy desperation, I turned to Mercy Ministries, a free-of-charge Christian residential programme for girlswho need help with their life-controlling issues. AtMercy, I learned life skills, how to set boundaries, andprocessed my emotional wounds with the most lovingstaff; a considerable part of the healing was through myfaith. The most memorable moment was when I finallycame to realise that the abuse was not my fault, andthat, as a child, I knew no better. I graduated from theprogramme in 2012.
Now at 29 years old, I have a burning desire toconcentrate on the link between sex trafficking andpornography, as it relates strongly to at-risk youth allover the world. While forced prostitution is widelyrecognised and feared, many are hardly cognisant of thefact that they are a victim of sex trafficking, routinelyand fearfully performing under a watchful eye witha camera in hand. Little do they know that their acts
will then be sold for a paltry sum, a form of perverse enjoyment for the viewer behind the screen.
I started my own clothing collection and with the help of Elegantees – an organisation aiming to build a bright future for victims of sex trafficking through sewing work and a positive source of income – debuted at New York Fashion Week on February 13, 2015. My clothes are made by women in a safe house in Nepal who are paid a fair wage. A large portion of profits are given to aftercare services that work with survivors of child sex trafficking.
Why Nepal? As I am of Indian descent, and was born in Kolkata, this mission is close to my heart. Child sex trafficking is arguably one of Nepal’s most pressing social issues. The fairer-skinned Nepalese girls are prized in Indian brothels, and a lack of education means they are innocent to “stranger danger”. Between 5,000 and 15,000 Nepali girls are trafficked over the Indian border every year, mostly from northern central Nepal.
top A young girl entertains drunken men, one of them a police officer after duty hours, at the Kandupatti Brothel, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She ensures that the customers get everything they want…
The most memorable moment was when I finally came to realise that
the abuse was not my fault, and that, as a child, I knew no better.
PHOTO MAJORITY WORLD/UIG VIA GETTY IMAGES
