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From hard life to misery and back
by
Jannie Aasted
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Yem Kumari Thapa |
Unfortunately the story of Yem Kumari Thapa is not rare. Like
thousands of her fellow female Nepali citizens she became a victim
of reckless traffickers and was sold to a brothel in India.
Sixteen lakh NRS was the price and 7 horrible months was her
misfortune. But the hardship has not ended yet.
Sold by her sister in law
Yem Kumari’s sister in law, Sita Thapa, and the two traffickers
named Kumraj and Durga were the persons who tried to motivate her
to go to Saudi Arabia for work. Her life in the village was
troubled since she had lost her husband who died 9 years ago
during a work stay in Saudi Arabia. But although Yem Kumari was
mistreated by her husband´s family, she was not interested in
leaving for an ostensibly better life abroad as Sita Thapa and
Kumraj and Durga tried to convince her to. Yem Kumari Thapa had
bad connotations to Saudi Arabia and wanted to stay at home with
her 11 year old daughter. Hence it was after many persuasive
attempts by means of alcohol that she one day by force was taken
in a bus to Butwal.
In the bustling Terai city she was encountered by Kumraj and Durga.
Along with promises of visas and other travel companions waiting
in India, she was deceived. And by the trick of offering her tea
and water with unknown substances in it, the two escorted her to
the North Indian city of Gorakhpur.
No way back
From Gorakhpur the train ride to Bombay was an easy task for the
two traffickers. Upon inquiry from the train police personnel, Yem
Kumari was told to be a mental patient and pretending to be good
friends, they were about to bring her to treatment in India. And
according to Yem Kumari, her self that might have appeared true,
because all she remembers was her own monotonous reiteration of
the words: "I want to go to Nepal!”
Despite many questions from a reluctant Yem Kumari wanting to
return home, Kumraj and Durga finally succeeded in abandoning her
at a compound in Bombay. Here a life in virtual slavery started.
If Yem Kumari refused to open the door, when a customer with a
ticket knocked on it, she was severely punished. The “fat lady”,
who had purchased her, would then come to her small room, scratch
her with a knife or even hit her in the head with a rice cooker.
Food was scarce and Yem Kumari had a hard time socializing with
the many other Nepali girls and women in the house. The ones who
did not make any resistance stayed upstairs with “more food and
better facilities”. Yem Kumari stayed downstairs and stayed
bitter.
The escape
A Nepali customer turned out to be Yem Kumari’s rescuer. After
hearing her story, an unmarried man from the neighbouring district
of Syangja was ready to help her. He brought a set of men’s
clothes and tore his ticket into two. With a ‘mexi’ (traditional
Nepali dress) under her arm and a valid ticket, she managed to
cheat the security guards watching the brothel and walked to the
train station. After begging for money and having great
difficulties convincing people to help her on her way, she
returned to Tansen, from where she walked on foot to meet her
mother in Chidipani.
Ambiguous welcome
Yem Kumari’s mother was happy to see her daughter again, but her
brother was less happy not to say furious. And she with the help
of WWA filed a case towards Sita Thapa and Kumraj and Durga. Her
brother sanctioned her officially. He not only despised and
ignored her, but also mobilized a big part of the local community
to turn their backs against her and to take Sita Thapas’s part.
According to Sussi Utoft, the Dansih Development worker at WWA,
about 100 people from Chidipani were shouting outside the court in
Tansen to release the three accused of which Kumraj was also a
former villager in Chidipani. At the same time the brother also
made the local community turn themselves against WWA and their
support to Yem Kumari Thapa.
But what about the women in Yem Kumari’s community group? After
all they should be the ones to support their fellow group member?
But again Yem Kumari’s story is not rare. Although the group has
offered her a loan at 1000 NRS, the moral support and friendly
backs to lean against are lacking. Yem Kumari is having big
problems getting accepted in her community. Just like thousands of
her fellow female Nepali citizens.
This is wrong!
What makes Yem Kumari's story unrare is that she actually took up
the case after she returned to Nepal. She asked the culprits for
an apology and since she did not get any, her decision was firm:
“This should not happen to others. This is wrong and the ones
responsible are to be punished.” Yem Kumari went to court and on
June 15, 2004 the outcome of her long way in the Nepali court
system was equally firm. Sita Thapa was sentenced to 8 months in
prison and Kumraj and Durga to12 years each plus a fine of 1,5
lakh or additional 4 years in prison.
The court verdict was a success. But to Yem Kumari the next
challenge is how to continue a life with dignity in a society that
has practically no respect for the people like her and the
sufferings they have gone through. She appreciates the support
from WWA and emphasizes that making awareness on the trafficking
issue is an ongoing process essential and important. But her main
concern now is how to make a daily living since the money she
earns from growing maize is not sufficient, and the loans she has
been given have to be paid back. “The future is uncertain”, says
Yem Kumari, who would like to keep telling her story hoping to
prevent other women from having the same sort of deceit.
Read about the court trial and
WWA’ s role and reflections in ‘Case not closed’
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