What is the worth of a man, or a woman for that matter? Are we valued by what we do, or how we contribute to society as a whole? Are some people worth more than others? What happens if you have no skills to contribute? These are the very questions facing many girls in Nepal. Human trafficking of girls in Nepal is happening daily at a staggering rate. Some are lured away from their families by promises of jobs and money; but others are sold by their own families as a way to obtain money. In some villages, there are no girls left except the very young. One cannot talk about Nepal without talking about this issue. It permeates every aspect of life. While the country has found some stability in recent years, and persecution of Christians has decreased, this issue remains. It is my hope that the Christians in Nepal will continue to take a stand on this issue, and not only save their sisters from a life of horror, but be an example of treasuring young women and recognizing their true worth. For we know that our value is not determined by what we can or cannot do, and that God has a plan for each of us, made complete in His timing.
----------------------------------------
Nepal
Basic Info: Nepal, known as the “Land of the Deities,” is a land locked nation slightly larger than Arkansas, with a strategic position between India and China. It contains 8 of the 10 highest peaks in the world, including Mt Everest. Despite being one of the most picturesque places in the world, Nepal is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world with nearly 1/3 of the population living below poverty. The nation experiences severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, and drought and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons. All of these effect economical development, along with civil strife and labor unrest. The main focus of the economy is agricultural for the 29,852,682 population.
Government: Nepal was ruled by a monarchy until 1951 when the monarch established a cabinet system of government. In the 1990’s a constitutional monarchy was set up with a multiparty democracy. In 1996 a civil war started that would last 10 years between government forces and Maoist extremists (communist forces). The cabinet and parliament were dissolved and the king retook absolute control in 2002. In 2006 weeks of mass protests were followed by many months of peace negotiations and ended in a peace accord and an interim constitution (a new constitution was supposed to be established by May 2010, but was extended for another year to give them more time). After a nation wide election in 2008, Nepal was declared to be a federal democratic republic and the monarchy was abolished. The Constituent Assembly (CA) elected the country's first president that July. The Maoists, who received a plurality of votes in the Constituent Assembly election, formed a coalition government in August 2008, but resigned in May 2009 after the president overruled a decision to fire the chief of the army staff. On June 30th, 2010, the prime minister resigned under intense pressure from the Maoists in order to end a year long stand off with the Maoists. Between 2008 and 2011 there were four different coalition governments, led twice by the United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, which received a plurality of votes in the 2008 CA election, and twice by the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist (UML). After the CA failed to draft a constitution by the May 2012 deadline set by the Supreme Court, then Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai dissolved the CA. Months of negotiations ensued until March 2013 when the major political parties agreed to create an interim government headed by then Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi with a mandate to hold elections for a new CA. Elections were held in November 2013, in which and the Nepali Congress won the largest share of the seats in the CA and in February 2014 formed a coalition government with the second place UML and with Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala as prime minister. In the November 2013 election, 120 political parties participated and 30 parties were elected to serve in the Constituent Assembly.
Economy: Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world, with about 46% of the people unemployed. Nepal is heavily dependent on remittances, which amount to as much as 22-25% of GDP. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for more than 70% of the population and accounting for a little over one-third of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural products, including pulses, jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower, with an estimated 42,000 MW of commercially feasible capacity, but political uncertainty and a difficult business climate have hampered foreign investment. Additional challenges to Nepal's growth include its landlocked geographic location, persistent power shortages, underdeveloped transportation infrastructure, civil strife and labor unrest, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. The lack of political consensus in the past several years has delayed national budgets and prevented much-needed economic reform, although the government passed a full budget in 2013.
Religion: Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001)
Nepal was previously the world’s only Hindu nation. Because of the civil unrest in 1990, the government now allows the freedom to profess and practice any religion, but not to evangelize. Proselytizing has a jail sentence of three years. The first church in Nepal was formed in 1952 with 29 Christians. When persecution was at its worst in 1990, there were 200,000 believers. In 2010, there were as many as 850,000 Christ followers in nearly 10,000 groups. This was achieved because of a willingness to suffer for the Gospel, profound prayerfulness, and a Nepali-driven long term commitment to evangelism and church planting. There is a church planted in every one of the 75 districts of Nepal, and there are at least some believers in almost every people and caste group. There is also great unity among the Christian community. The Nepal Christian Society was formed in 1996 as a coordinating fellowship for Evangelicals, the National Council of Churches of Nepal was formed in 1999 for social and national development, and the Christian Efforts for Peace, Justice, and Reconciliation was formed in 2003. The CEPJAR later joined a multi-faith peacebuilding process with representatives of other faiths. Christianity is still viewed in Nepal as a foreign, mostly Western intrusion that undermines traditional culture and society and appeals only to lower castes. Persecution of Christians still continues, especially for those who evangelize to Hindus. Those who convert to any religion other than Hinduism face social rejection and possibly violence; some are even forced from their homes. If someone is convicted of converting others, he will face fines or imprisonment, and foreigners can be barred from the country. Not only do the communist Maoists attack the Christians, but militant Hindus with supporters in India as well. Both want to purge the country of all Christianity. In 2009, an extremist group called the Nepal Defense Army claimed credit for the brutal murder of a Catholic priest. This group seeks to restore Nepal as a Hindu nation and targets Christians and other non-Hindus; they follow the philosophy of Hindutva. They also bombed a Catholic church in 2009, killing two women and one teenager while wounding dozens of others. Despite all of this, Nepal's Christians are defending their rights and building a fully Nepali, Christian identity. While persecution remains, it is not as severe as it has been in the past. Nepal is not listed as one of the top 50 countries experiencing persecution. The Bible translation into Nepali was completed in 1915. The Old Testament is now available in 7 languages, and the New Testament is available in 11 more. Christian literature can now be freely printed and distributed without censorship. Christian broadcasts are little known, but the JESUS film is being widely used.
Human Trafficking: Trafficking claims so many girls in Nepal that in one area, several villages are left without any teenage girls. Spiritual, relational, and economic poverty drive families to sell their daughters into slavery in their own cities or across borders to India and throughout Asia. The organization "She Is Safe", works to prevent, rescue and restore Nepal’s girls from trafficking with holistic interventions. Through their anti-trafficking work in Nepal, they free girls at border crossings, restoring them through spiritual nurture and job training in a safe location. Girls are returning home bearing the good news of God’s love, equipped to strengthen their villages against traffickers in the future. To prevent the sale of girls, their local anti-trafficking partners in unreached areas convince families that girls can gain skills to bless their villages, and provide income-generating opportunities. In just one example, when their border co-worker met Malati, she was drugged and dressed in a veil. Her trafficker had threatened her and demanded that she act like a Muslim woman to disguise the fact that she was being trafficked from a Hindu village. A quick interview revealed that she was headed for India’s sex trade. Her trafficker was handed over to local authorities, and Malati is now in a She Is Safe-funded safe house, where she is learning her worth in Christ, and gaining the skills she needs to build a new life of freedom.
Information compiled from Operation World Nepal, CIAWorldFactBook Nepal, World Watch List, She Is Safe Nepal
-------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment