- http://www.paralumun.com/issuescanada.htm


CANADA FACTS ON PROSTITUTION

Vietnamese and Chinese mafia are increasing operations in brothels in Toronto, Canada. They traffic in women from Southeast Asia. Agents pay recruiters up to $8,000 for a woman, who then sell the women to pimps for about $15,000. Agents take 10% of the earnings beyond the original contract. The women are forced to service buyers’ 12 hours a day, 400 buyers or $400,000 to pay off their debt. Women are abused and terrorized, being beaten and reportedly burned with hot irons. (Rob Lamberti, "Sex Slaves: Fodder for Flesh Factories the Women Earn Nothing But Tips Until They Pay Off Their $40,000 Contracts," Toronto Sun, 10 May 1998)

About twelve 16-30-year-old Asian girls and women were trafficked into Canada each week on visitor's permits and sold into prostitution. The girls and women were bought in North America for up to $15,000 by a network that made about U.S. $1. 4 - $2.2 million annually. The women are sold to brothel owners in Markham and Scarborough Toronto and Los Angeles and forced into $40,000 debt bondage. (Police, "Police Bust Sex-slave Ring" 11 September 1997 & "Toronto police uncover sex slave ring," United Press International, 11 September 1997)

Male buyers in Canada are increasingly seeking Filipinas more so than Thai women, because they believe Filipinas pose less of risk for AIDS. (Rob Lamberti, "Sex Slaves: Fodder for Flesh Factories the Women Earn Nothing But TipsUntil They Pay Off Their $40,000 Contracts," Toronto Sun, 10 May 1998)

As many as 100 Honduran children have been smuggled overland into Canada from Honduras, by a professional drug ring trafficking children to Vancouver. The Honduran smugglers pay the childrens’ transportation costs and help them across the Canadian border. Once in Vancouver, the traffickers put the children in apartments, help them file refugee claims and sign up for welfare. In return, the children are turned out on the street as indentured drug dealers. (Adrienne Turner, "Drug ring lures kids as dealers: Hondurans as young as 11 deal crack in Vancouver," Ottawa Citizen, 20 July 1998)

Motorcycle gangs and organized crime groups based in Eastern Europe and Asia, have trafficked foreign women to Canada under lawful pretexts, then forced the women into prostitution. ("Canada’s Paper for EU Conference on Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation" 10-11 June 1996)

There have been reports of extortion, coercion, rape and prostitution involving foreign exotic dancers, strip club managers and patrons. The women are vulnerable to sexual exploitation and coercion into criminal activities. Foreign exotic dancers tend to be recruited in their country of residence by "talent agencies". The talent agency pays all up-front costs associated with travel and initial accommodations. The loan becomes a form of debt-bondage. Many of these women do not speak French or English and are unfamiliar with the legal protections available to them under Canadian law. ("Canada’s Paper for EU Conference on Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation" 10-11 June 1996)

11 women, aged 18-25, from the former Soviet Union, were forced to become exotic dancers in a strip club. The women were recruited from the former Soviet Union with the promise that they would become highly paid models in Canada. They entered Canada illegally, and the traffickers took their passports and other identification and held them in Toronto. The women went to the police in April 1991. Two men were charged and fined $1000 and $2000. ("Canada’s Paper for EU Conference on Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation" 10-11 June 1996)

70 to 80% of those involved in the Canadian sex industry began as children. And 80 to 95% are fleeing sexual abuse that usually began at home. (Kimberly Daum, "Sexually Exploitated Children in Canada: The Law is Not on Their Side," Opinion/Essays, 17 October 1996)

Hundreds of children under 17 years old are being exploited in the sex industry in Vancouver, Canada. Middle-aged male buyers are increasingly seeking girls as young as 11. The police are not trusted by the children, who have targeted them for arrests rather than the perpetrators. (Child advocates, Mark Clayton, "To Curb Vancouver’s Big Trade in Child Sex, Police Nab ‘Johns’," Christian Science Monitor, 1997)

Children in prostitution are charged 59 times more often than are the male buyers in Vancouver. In six years, only 6 men were charged in Vancouver for buying children in prostitution. Two were convicted. During the same time period, 354 children were charged for involvement in prostitution. (Vancouver: Predator and Pedophile Paradise, a study by John Turvey, executive director of Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society, Mark Clayton, "To Curb Vancouver’s Big Trade in Child Sex, Police Nab ‘Johns’," Christian Science Monitor, 1997)

Three men sexually assaulted, threatened to kill and prostituted a 13-year-old girl in Toronto and Oshawa, Canada for 18 months. The men collected $100,000 from selling her as a prostitute. Robert Christian Chattaway, 20, of Scarboro, was charged with kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, procuring, living on the avails of a prostitute under 18 and having dangerous weapons. Warrants are issued for the two other men. (Mike Beauparlant Detective of the Juvenile Task Force, Tom Godfrey, "Child Forced to Hook Man Held After Girl, 13, Assaulted," Toronto Sun, 18 April 1998)

Jalil Ali-Akbar Bahrami, a violent pimp, convicted of 60 offenses of drug trafficking, assault with a deadly weapon and living off the avails of prostitution was freed from prison and sent to his native Iran after claiming he is not using drugs and that he has found God. (Kelly Harris, "Violent Offender Finds God, Is Freed," Sun Media, 27 May 1998)

"If what we're doing is so bad, then why are police officers and politicians some of our better customers?" Among the range of buyers include schoolboys to grandfathers, lawyers, top civil servants, businessmen, the laborer next door. Most are married. Some are in their 70s. All of their names are on computerized databases in escort agency offices. (One escort agency owner, Nick Pron, "Dating Services Bring Boom Times to Prostitution," Toronto Star, 1997)

Womens Issues

if this statistics reveal the true fact, then its a matter of serious concern. The developed country like canada have been involved in sucha a henious and barbaric act against humanity. The country which is barking for the humanity, equal rights, democracy, child and women rights in the developing country imports innocent people and make their victim. Is this their one of the sources of per capita income? If it is the case, then stop barking for the democracy and human rights in those developing country where you import our family members. Don't lure them to suck theri blood. Or, take some steps to avoid these act. Stop the smuggling on the border and put those criminal in the jail. Take strict action against your people. Deport those immigrants in your country who are involving in the crime. If you need some training, come up in our country, we will give you some training how to trap the smuggler on the border.....hope the government is not involved directly against it. UN has something to do...
jayamatadi

NEPAL WOMENS ISSUES
Women Trafficking in Nepal :

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal has guarantee the right of equality to women, however discrimination and problems against women manifest in a number of ways in Nepal. Age-old patriarchal value system, social and cultural practices have crippled the women in many says. Women are treated as a commodity since a long-time. They are regarded as second-class citizen and discriminated against in social, cultural, economic and political fronts as well. They are so oppressed, exploited and dominated that they only play the stereotype role in the entire society. The trafficking of women is more serious and deep-rooted problem in Nepal.

It is estimated that more than 15,00,00 innocent rural women and girl children are trafficked to Indian brothels and cities alone for commercial sex. Numbers of girl children and women become victims of sexual abuse, including rape inside the country. Since the Rana's despotic family rule, rural girl children were brought to cities for their housework or midwife. As they grown up, they were being sexually exploited and in the past many among them were settled with their livelihood too. This practice lured the rural poor indigenous people to send their innocent girls for away even India for the purpose of housework. With the pace of time, the problem spread over acutely, chronically, inhumanly and barbarously. It is estimated that every year 5000 to 7000 Nepalese girl children are trafficked to India alone. These facts and factors made Nepal as a country of facing the acute women trafficking problems.

Preventive Measures :

Under the Article 20 (1) of the Constitution of the Kingdome of Nepal 1991, the right against exploitation is guaranteed which explicitly prohibits the traffic in human beings, slavery and serfdom or force labor in any from. Any act contravening to the Article is regarded as heinous crime and is punishable under the existing law. The Human Trafficking (Control) Act. 1986 is enacted and enforced as a special Act. The Act provides the strict provisions of burden of proof, which lies on the accused in some circumstances. The penalty is up to twenty years jail terms. Three judges of Appellate Court trail the case of human trafficking, though it is ad hoc arrangement. Nepal has become party and even ratified of the numbers of International instruments i.e. Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against women 1979, Convention on the Suppression of Immoral Trafficking and Protocol, 1949; Convention on the Right of the Child etc. including SAARC regional convention. As a party of the international legal instruments Nepal has state obligation to adopt necessary and effective measures to meet the objectives put forward.

Reasons to be Women Trafficked in Nepal :

Women trafficking in Nepal is being acute day-by-day and grooming in various forms with the pace of development and movement of the world. The reason and nature of the women trafficking in Nepal can be highlighted as follows;

Poverty is the main cause of women trafficking in Nepal in the rural areas. Due to the hunger, unemployment and illiteracy almost guardians are compelled to handover their innocent girl child to the girl brokers under the veil of carpet works or housework, garment works who ultimately be sold for the commercial flesh trade, a large numbers in India and a few within the country.

Nowadays it is increasing tendency that middle class women are being trafficked in gulf countries for sex works under the veil of attractive works and handsome salaries. Increasing way of easy lifestyle, necessities to meet the on growing social hay Fay are some of the factors contributing the middle class women to be trafficked.

Since the history, numbers of Nepalese youths emigrant mainly to India for the manual works. The fact is being a golden opportunity for women traffickers to traffic women for prostitution in the name of so-called marriage. The traffickers plot the scene of marriage, going India and settle life but after reaching India most of them betray to the innocent girls and sale for the prostitution.

The age-old Hindu ritual like Dauki Custom, Jhuma Custom, Badi Custom of offering unmenstrual girls for the Gods' happiness encourages prostitution and ultimately these girls are easily trafficked.

Poverty is the fundamental problem to combat trafficking in women in Nepal. Due to the poverty people are illiterate and easily lured by tiny attractions of works, salaries, easy life etc.

Inhuman and immoral traditions and rituals are obvious hinders to encircle the society in vicious circle Once a girls trafficked for prostitution she becomes more stigmatized to come back in the society. As a result she herself indulges in the traffickers gang.

The developing superficial life pattern is dangerously contributing the problem to be more acute. The flesh trade is blooming as a most profitable business in the world where Nepal is not an exception. Powerful persons of the society, who themselves are obligated to control the flesh trade, are engaging in the activities in one or another way. As a result law becomes lenient or weak or ineffective to be implemented.

The offence of trafficking is mainly cross boarder problems for Nepal who shares more then half open land-boarder area with India.

Legal Challenge :

Law has itself embraced a number of lacunas to control women trafficking in Nepal.

-The Human Trafficking (Control) Act, 1986 stipulates the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the offence by its nature of cross boarder but has not mentioned in the extradition agreement. Therefore, the provision of extraterritorial jurisdiction is almost dead in the implementation. -No strict rules are made to regulate the emigrants of women to India. In case if the complain is made against the traffickers, it is almost impossible to apprehend the accused. -The investigation method is very stereotyped and ever unchanged which is desperately failed to its aim. The prosecution is merely pro-prosecutorial based on the police investigators. -Court is more conventional and lacks the expertise to deal with such changing organized crime. Even if the conviction is made against the accused, the execution of the judgment is almost impossible if the accused in not in judicial custody. -Delay trail, threatens, social pressure, lure of other's fringe attractions vindicate against the justice. -Hostility of witness of the plaintiff (government is plaintiff in the trafficking case), complaints or many times victims themselves are the major challenges facing today. - Malpractice in the investigation, prosecution and even in the court is unbelievable challenges in the administration of justice. Conclusion with Recommendations

Realizing the ever-growing problems of women trafficking, harsh laws are made to combat the problems. Women activists, including NGOs, like Forum for Women Law and Development (FWLD), Maiti Nepal, LAAC etc; are doing a lot to curb the crime. Governmental agencies are being involved to prevent crime and if the crime occurs they are being activated to bring the criminal in the administration of justice. Nepal is committed and cautious to adopt the effective measures compatible with international legal requirement. However, without real commitment to implement the laws the trafficking in women will increase more. Therefore employment for women is fundamentally be guaranteed by the state or benevolent organizations. Witness and victim protection scheme, in-camera court trail and modern techniques of evidence collection should be guaranteed which Nepal lacks at present. Immoral and inhuman social rituals and customs against women should be eliminated by the methods of civil society's role and severe punishment. Effective presentation of governmental agencies or NGOs in the trafficking venerable boarder point will certainly discourage the criminal. Extradition agreement between India and Nepal in the trafficking charged case is the fundamental requirement to control women trafficking. Vigilance and punishment for the malpractices in the governmental law enforcement agencies is the basis of achieving the objectives of legal instruments. Uncover The Truth About Anyone!

Article by : Kumar Chudal, Office of Attorney General, Nepal.

good work juxtapositions for bringing up women and child trafficking issues in nepal.
it's such a disgrace and shame to every nepali that these things should be haappening in nepal.