This year, it’s estimated* that in Nepal – 20,000 women and girls will be trafficked. In the Philippines – an estimated 60,000+ children will be trafficked and exploited.
Girls will be tricked into migrating out of Nepal chasing the promise of a better life. Girls will be exploited into the sickening world of cybersex in the Philippines. Their reward will be enslavement, gang rape, prostitution, or being killed to support the ruthless body part industry.
INTERCEPTION AND RESCUE
This year 5,000 women and girls will be intercepted by Captivating funded programs in Nepal.
INTERCEPTIONS are when a girl, after being stopped at a monitoring station for an interview (because her situation looked suspicious) is through a series of interviews believed by our team to be “very likely in the act of being trafficked”. This conclusion will be presented to the local police who become involved in her case including confirming her safe return to her home village. INTERCEPTIONS are when a girl is taken aside and interviewed about her travel plans. Monitoring station staff stop her from progressing across the border due to them having too many concerns about the risk factors surrounding her desire to migrate. Further investigation leads them to believe this girl may well be in the very process of being trafficked. She is informed on what is likely happening, counselled as necessary, and either returned home or picked up by her family.
RESCUES are where a girl is literally pulled from a brothel or sex massage parlor and the owner prosecuted.
Interception programs are incredibly cost efficient and effective. Rescue programs are expensive and dangerous. All activity is done with police support, but it is our partners branch staff that take the lead.
On average, a girl is being intercepted EVERY THREE HOURS from a Captivating supported monitoring station in Nepal.
REHABILITATION
Rescued victims need assistance and an opportunity to recover from such a traumatic experience. This involves counseling, emotional support, the rebuilding of confidence in themselves and in humanity.
The ultimate goal is to reintegrate victims back into their community. Stereotypical and highly stigmatized social thinking can, however, mean parents and relatives are compelled to abandon the rescued survivors. In such cases, further intervention and support is required and is provided in the form of schooling or skill and vocational development so the victim can support themselves.
Our rehabilitation programs are bridging the gap between a women’s period of rescue and reintegration by providing them with livelihood opportunities. When a young women is rescued from human trafficking, the road to recovery is a long and challenging one for most due to substantial emotional scaring and brokenness from unimaginable abuse. Our Programs aim to fill a gap through 1) Physical Support 2) Emotional Support and 3) Education and Skill Building.
- Blessed Project – Stopping Trafficking in the Philippines
- Womens Safe Haven in Nepal
EDUCATION AND AWARENESS
This year, 50,000 women and girls will come into direct contact with our anti-trafficking advocates and staff. They will learn that human trafficking is a major problem to their safety. Many will be trained on how to see the warning signs and learn the latest tricks being used by traffickers and they will be given the information necessary to contact experts and on-call help desks.
Education through Radio – In Nepal, Captivating is the majority funder of the 3ACR Radio Station specifically established to educate Nepali people on the problems of trafficking. Key messages on trafficking are aired including the latest tactics used by traffickers to lure unsuspecting girls and personal stories of victims. This program continues to receive the highest endorsement by Nepalese authorities and is reaching 96% of Nepal.
School and community education initiatives help spread the word and expand awareness – Presentations will be made in schools in Nepal and the Philippines; flyers distributed; bulletin boards erected; and, women’s groups networked together to create a ‘neighborhood watch’ type program.
Stopping Cybersex crime against children – Education is the key strategy here. With the majority of teens (and younger) all with Facebook accounts at the local internet cafe, the risk of predatory invasion is huge – and yet education of such things as keeping your information safe is not well covered. Additionally, what is not spoken of much is what is appropriate online behavior, and what is not. With video messaging now easily accessible, a big door to predators flashing money is an issue. The fastest growing crime against children is cyber-sex crime. We are fully engaged in the space rolling over awareness programs to high-risk schools and students. Additionally, the strategy will target an even more concerning audience – impoverished single mom. She is easily attracted to the “easy money” being offered by online predators – especially those who want to see her young children perform sexual acts over video to them. MOM needs to hear a clear message that “cybersex is damaging to your child”.
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
The problem of child trafficking will always be there as long as conditions of poverty and prejudice exist. Captivating is progressively funding the implementation of large-scale programs addressing the systemic problem of poverty in Nepal and the Philippines. This venture utilizes training in the processes of micro-enterprise and micro-finance, along with trafficking awareness which will lead to solid long-term solutions for the entire community.
