Hollywood film to launch anti-trafficking campaign in Nepal

The Hollywood movie Sold has partnered with Childreach Nepal to launch the anti-trafficking campaign "Taught not Trafficked" in Nepal.

"I wanted to create a film that could foster change and serve as a vehicle to raise funds for children that would make a substantial difference in their lives," Director of Sold Jeffrey D Brown said at a press conference held in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Sold, a film about a young girl who has been trafficked from her home in Nepal to a brothel in India will be screened on Tuesday in Nepal.

The "Taught Not Trafficked" campaign aims to shine a light on human trafficking internationally and to keep children safe through targeted education awareness projects in high risks areas across Nepal.

"Imagine if your sister or daughter was trafficked -- it is simply the worst thing that could happen to a child. Our research shows that keeping girls in school is the best way to prevent them from being trafficked," Tshering Lama, Director of Childreach Nepal, said.

Jane Charles, Producer of the movie, said that we need to work on tackling the causes of trafficking and preventing it from happening in the first place.

"We met hundreds of survivors of child sex trafficking in India and Nepal while doing research for our film. Once you witness the issue of human trafficking first hand it is impossible to turn away," she said.

The thought-provoking movie has already received international attention and secured Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson as the executive producer. Climbing into the role of a trafficked child or a "brothel madam" has been a challenge for many of the actors in the movie.

"Showing the evil and dark side of human beings was very painful," SeemaBiswas, a famous Indian film and theater actress, who plays the role of a brothel owner in the movie, told Xinhua.

The number of children trafficked out of Nepal is as high as 12, 000 each year, but some reports indicate that the number is even higher. According to Childreach Nepal, the majority of trafficked children have dropped out or have been attending school infrequently.

Sunita Danawar, a child trafficking survivor, believes that with the right education, the "Taught not Trafficked" campaign has the potential to reduce child trafficking in the country.

"As a survivor of trafficking, I know how evil and damaging it is and what consequences it has not just for those trafficked but for the whole community," she said.

Danawar was rescued, but according to Childreach Nepal, an estimated 200,000 Nepali girls are still working in brothels in India.

"In just half a day at the Nepal-India border, I witnessed six women being rescued from trafficking. If you are trapped in a brothel you will be abused by 10 to 15 customers a night, seven days a week," Jeffrey D Brown said while talking about the film- making process.

Many factors such as widespread poverty and related marginalization deep rooted gender discrimination as well as dysfunctional family structures are considered to be among the causes for increased trends in trafficking of women and children in Nepal.

"The best way to turn this vicious cycle into a virtuous one is by ensuring access to education for all children, particularly those at risk," TomooHozumi, UNICEF Representative of Nepal, said.