Peace Rehabilitation Center is a community of sisters and brothers in Kathmandu, Nepal...and around the world committed together to the rescue and rehabilitation of Nepali young people who have been stolen or sold - "trafficked" - in South Asia's burgeoning sex industry.The poverty and poor educational system of rural Nepal contribute greatly to high levels of sex trafficking. Seeking a better life, women and girls of an increasingly young age are easily lured into domestic prostitution or international trafficking by false promises of marriage or employment, sometimes offered by friends or relatives. Many migrate of their own accord in hopes of improving their economic circumstances, but once abroad find few opportunities and turn to prostitution. The majority of trafficked Nepali women will never see their families or homes again and have little chance of escape or rescue. Most will perish due to abuse, illness, abandonment, harsh brothel conditions, and/or the effects of STDs and HIV/AIDS. At present, sources estimate that 200,000 Nepali women work in Indian brothels, and that 70% of them are HIV+.
Founded on Director Shanta Sapkota's conviction that "love is big medicine," PRC assists in brothel rescue through its involvement in a Nepali and Indian NGO network. Women who are connected with PRC by this and other NGOs, government officials, or families receive counseling and care as they heal from the trauma of trafficking, prostitution and repatriation. In the family-centered atmosphere of PRC’s rehabilitation home, women and girls are given an opportunity to complete their education and trained in literacy, health, hygiene, nutrition and micro-credit. As possible, they are prepared for reintegration into their home communities.
PRC also sponsors a separate home for young girls who have suffered abuse or abandonment and are at greater risk of exposure to traffickers. Here, they complete their education and receive the love, care and discipline that will give them confidence to succeed once they are ready to live on their own. As many of the repatriated Nepali women suffer from AIDS, PRC staff trains women’s families in long-term terminal care of AIDS patients. If a family cannot or will not provide care for a woman, PRC cares for her until her death. PRC also provides counseling, medical assistance and education about HIV/AIDS to other community groups and HIV+ individuals.
I commend this organization to you heartily. My fiance Jenny and I will be going there on our honeymoon, and may very possibly be moving to Nepal in the spring to help Shanta with this tremendous work. The PRC is pushing back the darkness, and if you want to use your money to push back the darkness this would be an organization to consider supporting.
