Slavery. When you hear that term, Roman conquests or the American Civil War might come to mind. The sad truth is that slavery is still very much alive today in the form of human trafficking. According to the US Department of Justice, human trafficking “is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts.” Both victims and perpetrators of human trafficking wear many faces and are not exclusive to specific genders. Anyone can be a victim. Anyone can be a perpetrator. This horrific practice is a global issue, but the Nepali–India border is notorious for it. One organization’s fight against human trafficking in Nepal is providing hope for the future.
What Is Every Daughter Matters?
Every Daughter Matters (EDM) is an Australian nonprofit with the goal of preventing the trafficking of Nepali girls into India. Since operation began in March 2020, they’ve partnered with local organizations to further their reach and influence. EDM’s primary goal is preventing and breaking the cycle of trafficking, since it’s that much harder to save a girl once she’s across the border. For them, it’s not only about rescuing and rehabilitating potential victims, but also empowering individuals and communities. They do this through a three-pronged initiative: interception, empowerment, and education.
Interception
EDM infrastructure involves booths at border crossings between India and Nepal, stations where they stop abuse before it begins—or, at the very least, before it becomes worse. Each booth is staffed by people trained to identify and intercept at-risk girls before they ever leave Nepal. These frontline teams are dedicated to seeing the signs of potential trafficking and stepping in before it’s too late. They literally weave through hectic pedestrian, bicycle, and car traffic to catch girls, pulling them aside to ask questions and confirm any red flags. The booths are staffed entirely by Nepali locals, many of whom are rescued girls themselves, wanting to give back and save others like them.
EDM intercepts over 140 girls every month. Tara was one of those girls intercepted at the border. Her childhood was filled with loss, abandonment, and abuse. She never felt fully safe or stable in any of the places where she stayed, either being abused by her aunt and uncle or forced to keep quiet about inappropriate behavior from male relatives. Desperation drove her to seek better opportunities, and in her search for stability, a coworker promised her better options in India. At the border, she was intercepted by EDM staff, which began her real journey to new opportunities. Now she lives at one of EDM’s safe houses where she receives counseling and education, finally finding the stability she craved her entire life.
Empowerment
Once a girl has been rescued, EDM does all they can to help her return safely home. For some girls, however, returning home is not an option—home is where the danger lurks. For these girls, EDM provides the Halfway Home, a place where they can not only live in safety but also take advantage of opportunities they would not have otherwise. At the Halfway Home, the girls can complete their high school education and learn important life skills. EDM calls this program Pathways to Potential.
Through Pathways to Potential, EDM provides girls with two kinds of scholarships to help them complete their education. The Stage 1 scholarship is a two-year scholarship for girls in ninth and tenth grades, and the Stage 2 scholarship is a continuation of support through eleventh and twelfth grades. The Stage 2 scholarship also provides girls with the option to pursue education after high school.
At the Halfway Home, the girls are also offered opportunities in personal development. House parents care for the girls and teach them life skills such as time management, household responsibilities, and career planning. The girls also have access to mentoring sessions to help them excel academically and personally. They are also encouraged to get involved in their community, participating in events like International Women’s Day, Anti-Human Trafficking Day, and 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. This helps the girls to deepen their relationship with the community. They grow roots and connections and spread awareness of social justice issues.
Education
The final piece of EDM’s attack on trafficking is to educate communities. In addition to providing girls with educational support through Pathways to Potential, EDM also seeks to support education in low socioeconomic areas. Education helps break the cycle of trafficking and protect children from the threat of exploitation.
Through this program, Classrooms of Hope, EDM supports two low-resource schools. They provide these schools with essential resources such as teachers’ wages, after-school tuition, essential school supplies for students, and nutritious lunches, supporting both students’ learning and health. EDM is helping more children to reach their full potential while also protecting their communities from continued poverty and future trafficking. They’re going straight to the source, trying to build a community resistant to these terrible threats.
In addition to Classrooms of Hope, EDM also has Project180, which aims to educate first world communities about the threats of trafficking and raise awareness of EDM’s mission. Project180 presentations are given to schools, aiming to show how EDM helps girls turn their lives 180 degrees. They invite students to be a part of the solution. Currently, these presentations are only available in one part of Australia, but they hope to expand to more Australian states in the future.
Join the Fight
Every Daughter Matters does such important work in the fight against human trafficking. They save girls before it’s too late, empowering them and providing them with better opportunities. For these girls, EDM brings light back into their lives, providing them with hope when they had none. They strengthen and educate entire communities, seeking to cut off trafficking at the root.
EDM’s efforts are incredibly admirable, but there is always more that can be done. Each of us can help with that! Talking about EDM and spreading awareness of their efforts can go a long way toward supporting them. You can also become what EDM calls an Interception Partner and donate directly to the cause. They have estimated that it costs around 124 US dollars (187 AUD) to save each girl. A little can go a long way to changing a girl’s life.
—Lenicka Lee