Praying for Nepal

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Isaiah 58:6


Prayer breaks chains and gives favor that is supernatural. It enables rescue and puts people in the right place at the right time.

This month the spotlight is on trafficking victims in Nepal.  In this beautiful nation that hosts the most famous mountain in the world, it is estimated that nearly 40% of the nation lives in poverty. Poverty that drives men and women to take what they think are well paying jobs, that turn out to be exploitative traps.

Trafficking out of Nepal

According to this August 2013 article from the New York Times, UNICEF reports that as many as 7,000 women and girls are trafficked out of Nepal to India every year, and around 200,000 are now working in Indian brothels.  While India seems to be a prime destination to take these trafficked victims, women and girls are also trafficked to Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Russia, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, other Gulf States and China.

How are they Trafficked?

Girls and women are trafficked out of Nepal through a variety of ways – from false promises of non-existent jobs, to false marriages, to force and kidnapping.  Once taken across the border to India, brothels can pay up to $2,000 for one girl. The girls are then obligated to pay off the cost of their own purchase, as a debt to the brothel owners, over time. Of course, while paying back “their debt,” they must still pay draining fees for rent, food and other expenses to the brothel owner. It’s a sick cycle, designed to keep girls in brothels while diminishing their self-worth, sense of personal value, and ultimately, their spirit.

But it’s not just brothels – many victims, including men, are lured away by false promises of well-paying jobs, often by people they know and trust, and end up working jobs such as construction for little or no pay. In this May 2013 article from The Guardian, 16-year old Raji tells of her experiences working at a construction site –carrying bricks in a basket on her head, and eating old rice and potato soup twice a day. In the same article, a 17-year old girl named Kamashi says, "We had to work even when we had lots of injuries to our bodies. When we asked for money to buy medicine, we were beaten even more." Kamashi was taken to India, along with a group of five boys from her village. I want to stress that men and boys are not exempt from trafficking, and are also taken advantage of and exploited – especially for hard labor.

Nepal is an especially interesting country regarding its border with India. Created with the intention of promoting trade, Nepal and India have rather an open border through which people can easily be trafficked across, making this a prime land to traffic men, women, or children.

This month let’s unite in prayer for Nepalese citizens, and Tiny Hands International:

Tiny Hands International is a Christian ministry operating in several countries, including Nepal. Pray for them as they seek to “Be the Kingdom, Help Those Who Need it Most, and Do Much With Little” in the name of Jesus.  

• Education - Pray as Tiny Hands spreads education in local communities about trafficking awareness to at-risk men, women and children.
• Aftercare – Pray that workers and volunteers are able to give the emotional and spiritual support that victims need. Pray for wisdom for the workers, and strength and wisdom for them and their families.
• Prosecution – Pray for protection for this group and the victims, as they go about seeking the thorough prosecution of traffickers.
• Investigation – Pray for Tiny Hands, as they develop strategies to investigate and collect substantial information and evidence that will hold up in court to effectively fight traffickers and receive justice.
• Border Monitoring – Pray for Tiny Hands as they work to train border employees to watch for suspicious activity and identify possible trafficking cases. At this time, Tiny Hands operates 10-15 stations across the 1,600 mile Nepal-India border. Pray for the favor, finances and manpower to operate more booths.

Aglow Nepal

Aglow International has been in Nepal since the mid 1980’s and is 27 groups strong.  As we unite our prayers from around the world, let us also come alongside Aglow Nepal this month.  Aglow Nepal, you are positioned in your nation to make a difference for the people around you.  Your placement in your communities is not by accident.  You carry the spirit of Christ within you, and as you follow Him in obedience, we are praying for you and agreeing that HIS Kingdom come, HIS will be done, on Earth in Nepal, as it is in Heaven.   

Thank you for uniting together in prayer for Tiny Hands International and Aglow Nepal, that we may see the tyranny of oppression broken.  The fervent prayer of a righteous man availith much!  That’s a promise we have from the Word of God!  .

Standing in the gap with you,

 
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Anti-Trafficking Specialist
Aglow International