कारागारमा कसको शासन ?

 

कारागारमा कसको शासन ?

असार २३, २०७७सम्पादकीय

तीन दशकयता मुलुकमा प्रधानमन्त्री–गृहमन्त्री बनेका प्रायः नेता आफ्नो राजनीतिक जीवनमा धेरथोर जेल बसेका छन् । यी राजनीतिज्ञहरूलाई त्यहाँभित्रको बेथिति र समस्याबारे ज्ञान भएकाले पनि हुनुपर्छ, यस अवधिमा कारागार सुधार एउटा आम एजेन्डाजस्तै बनेको छ ।

२०४७ सालयता यसै हेतुले कैयौं अध्ययन समिति तथा कार्यदल बनाइएका छन् । तर तिनले सरकारलाई बुझाएका प्रतिवेदनहरू त्यसै कतै थन्किने गरेका छन् । भौतिक पक्ष होस् या व्यवस्थापकीय, कारागारभित्रका समस्या वर्षौंदेखि उस्तैउस्तै छन् । कैदीको आचरण सुधारमा पनि ध्यान दिइएको छैन । कारागार व्यवस्थापन विभाग, सम्बन्धित कारागार कार्यालय र पहुँचवाला कैदी–बन्दीको मिलेमतोमा कानुनी प्रावधान मिचेरै चौकीदार, नाइके र सहनाइके छानिनु यसैको दृष्टान्त हो ।

जेलको आन्तरिक प्रशासन मानिने कैदी व्यवस्थापनसम्बन्धी दैनिक खटनपटनको जिम्मेवारी नै जघन्य अपराधमा दोषी ठहरिएका व्यक्तिहरूलाई सुम्पिँदा कारागर सुधारगृह बन्न सक्दैन । तसर्थ, कारागार व्यवस्थापन विभाग, सम्बन्धित कारागार कार्यालय र पहुँचवाला कैदी–बन्दीको मिलेमतोमा कानुनी प्रावधान उल्लंघन गर्दै चौकीदार, नाइके र सहनाइके छान्ने ‘प्रथा’ तोडिनैपर्छ । कारागार कार्यालय प्रमुखको सिफारिसमा कारागार व्यवस्थापन विभागले यी पदहरूबारे निर्णय गर्नुपर्ने व्यवस्थाको पालना हुनैपर्छ । कारागार व्यवस्थापन ऐन २०१९, नियमावली २०२० र कारागार व्यवस्थापन कार्यविधि २०७३ अनुसार सोही कारागारमा एक वर्ष बसेको, ५० प्रतिशत सजाय भुक्तान गरेको तथा नकारात्मक सूचीमा नभएकालाई मात्रै चौकीदार र मूलनाइके नियुक्त गर्न मिल्छ ।

लागूऔषध, बलात्कार, कर्तव्य ज्यान, भ्रष्टाचार, जासुसी, मानव बेचबिखन, संरक्षित वन्यजन्तु तस्करी, पुरातात्त्विक सम्पदा चोरीसहित १० कसुरमा कैद भुक्तान गरेकालाई आन्तरिक प्रशासनमा खटाउन पाइँदैन । तैपनि राजधानीका केन्द्रीय कारागार, डिल्लीबजार र नख्खुसहित ठूला, मध्यम र जिल्ला तहका लगभग सबै कारागारमा कानुनविपरीत कैदीलाई आन्तरिक प्रशासनमा खटाइएको छ । एकपटक आन्तरिक प्रशासनमा खटिइसकेका कैदीलाई दोहोर्‍याएर जिम्मेवारी दिन नपाइने प्रावधान पनि उल्लंघन गरिएको छ । राजविराज कारागारमा त कर्तव्य ज्यानसहितका जघन्य अपराधमा सजाय भोगिरहेका तथा भारतीय नागरिकलाई समेत कारागारभित्रको आन्तरिक प्रशासनमा नियुक्त गरिएको छ ।

जेलको आन्तरिक प्रशासन व्यवस्थापनमा धेरै कमजोरी भएको महसुस गर्दै कारागार व्यवस्था विभागले चौकीदार र नाइके छनोटमा जेलर र प्रमुख जिल्ला अधिकारीको सिफारिस अनिवार्य गर्न लागेको छ, तर उक्त व्यवस्थाको पनि उचित पालना भएमा मात्र समस्याको समाधान हुन सक्छ । देशभरका ७४ कारागारमा २३ हजारभन्दा बढी कैदीबन्दी छन् । दिनहुँ थपिने र कैद भुक्तान गरेर बाहिरिने क्रम चलिरहेकै हुन्छ । आपराधिक कार्यमा संलग्न ठहरिएकालाई सुधार्नका लागि कारागारमा राखिन्छ, आफ्नो अपराध कर्ममा पश्चात्ताप गरून्, चरित्र तथा आनीबानी सुधारून् र समाजमा पुनःस्थापनाका लागि योग्य बनून् भनेर । तर यही हिसाबले जेल सञ्चालन भइरहने हो भने, ती कारागार कहिल्यै सुधारगृह बन्न सक्ने देखिँदैन ।

जेल साँच्चिकै सुधारगृह बन्न किन जरुरी छ भने, कैद भुक्तान गरेर बाहिरिनेहरू सबै आचरण सुधारेर सामान्य जीवनमा फर्केका छैनन् । कति फेरि अपराधमै लागेका दृष्टान्त छन्, कारागारभित्रै भएको चिनजानले कतिलाई अरू अपराधको बाटोमा डोर्‍याएको छ । जेल अपराध सिक्ने पाठशाला र अरू आपराधिक सम्बन्ध विस्तार गर्ने थलो नबनोस् भनेर पनि त्यहाँको आन्तरिक प्रशासनको यो विषयलाई खेलाँचीका रूपमा लिनु हुँदैन । जेलभित्रै समयसमयमा ज्यानै लिनेसम्मका अपराध भएका छन् । गम्भीर अपराधमा परेकैलाई आन्तरिक प्रशासन सुम्पिँदा कति कारागारमा नाइकेबाटै अरू कैदीमाथि शोषण भएका उदाहरण छन् । तसर्थ, उनीहरूमाथि उचित निगरानी पनि आवश्यक देखिन्छ । गम्भीर अपराधमा कैद भुक्तान गरेकाको ‘खटनपटन’ मा कारागार बस्दा आम कैदीमा समाजमा पुनःस्थापनाका लागि आवश्यक योग्यता, नैतिकता र आत्मविश्वास विकास कसरी हुन सक्ला, गृह प्रशासन यसबारे गम्भीर बन्नैपर्छ ।

कैद भुक्तान गरी निस्केकालाई समाजमा पुनःस्थापनाका लागि योग्य बनाउन सुधार गर्नुपर्ने अरू पक्ष पनि छन् । जीर्ण भवनको मर्मत, सुत्नका लागि पलङदेखि शौचालयको उचित व्यवस्था, क्षमताअनुसार मात्र कैदी–बन्दी संख्या, निर्धारित कर्मचारी दरबन्दीजस्ता विषयमा ध्यान दिनैपर्छ । कैदी र थुनुवालाई छुट्टाछुट्टै राख्ने व्यवस्था हुनुपर्छ । सम्भव भएसम्म सीप विकास र रोजगारमूलक कार्यको अवसर प्रदान गर्नुपर्छ । कैदी–बन्दीलाई अनुशासन, आचरण र चरित्र सुधारसम्बन्धी प्रशिक्षण पनि आवश्यक पर्छ । जेललाई वास्तविक सुधार गृह बनाउन सके मात्रै कैद सजायको अर्थ रहन्छ, नत्र दण्ड–सजायको उद्देश्य नै खेर जान्छ, त्यसैले सम्बन्धित निकायले यसलाई ध्यानमा राखेर कदम चाल्नुपर्छ ।

प्रकाशित : कान्तिपुर, असार २३, २०७७ ०८:०७

कोइलीकै आवरणजस्तो देखिएको छ, पोसाक

 

कोइलीकै आवरणजस्तो देखिएको छ, पोसाक

कान्तिपुर, कोसेली, २०१८ श्रावण ७

कालो मखमली चौबन्दी चोली, खैरो–फुस्रे रंगको फरिया, कम्मरमा कसेका छन् पटुकी । शिरदेखि आधा शरीर ढाक्ने घुमझैं लाग्ने गाढा कालो काम्लो ओढेका छन् । गहना पहिरिएका छन्, नाकमा फुली, कानमा मडुवारी । गलामा भिरेका छन्, चाँदीका कम्पनी, प्वाँलाका माला । हातमा काँच र चाँदीका चुरा, सिक्काका औंठी बाला । पाउमा जुत्ता अनि मोचा । एकातिरका पाँच जना (मनबुझा धिताल, दुर्गालक्ष्मी धिताल, धनलक्ष्मी धिताल, राजु धिताल र सरिता धिताल) ले देउडा भाका उच्चारण थालेसँगै अर्कोतर्फका पाँच जना (मायादेवी रेग्मी, भाजपुरा रोकाया, लक्ष्मी रोकाया, सरस्वती रोकाया र मनुकला राउत) ले त्यही भाका सुरिलो स्वरमा दोहोर्याभएर पाइला सारिरहेका छन् । उनीहरूको चालमा चाल, तालमा ताल मिल्दा दर्शकदीर्घा मन्त्रमुग्ध हुने नै भयो । लोकभाकाको लय र शब्दको अर्थ बयान गरिसाध्य छैन ।

मास्तिर डाँडा होस् या पारिको डाँडाकाँडाहरूमा हिजोअस्ति परेका हिउँ सेताम्मे देखिन्छ । यो ठिही छल्दै नराकोटस्थित गाउँपालिका कार्यालय नजिकैको फाँटमा दिदीबहिनीले देउडा गाइरहेका थिए ।........अबदेखि सिञ्जाको विकास निर्माणको निर्णय काठमाडौंले गर्दैन, स्वयं सिञ्जा गाउँपालिकाले गर्दै छ ।

यही वर्ष स्थानीय सरकार बनेपछि सिञ्जा सभ्यतामा पुनर्जागरण आएको आभास मिलेको छ । जुम्ला टेक्न विगतमा हवाई मार्ग मात्र थियो भने अहिले सडक, यातायात पुगेकाले जनजीवन सहज बनेको छ । सांस्कृतिक पर्यटन विकासका आधारहरू पर्याप्त बनेका छन् । राष्ट्रिय जनगणना–२०६८ को तथ्यांकअनुसार जुम्ला जिल्लाको जनसंख्या १ लाख ९ हजार छ । त्यसमा नराकोट, धापा र सानीगाउँ गाविसलाई मिलाएर सिञ्जा गाउँपालिका बनेको छ भने यस गाउँपालिकाको जनसंख्या १२ हजार छ ।

खस भाषा र संस्कृतिलाई प्रवद्र्धन गर्ने लक्ष्य राखेको सिञ्जा गाउँपालिका अध्यक्ष रावलले बताएका छन् । ‘खस नेपाली भाषाको उद्गमस्थल यस ऐतिहासिक सिञ्जा गाउँपालिका क्षेत्रका विद्यालयहरूमा स्थानीय खस भाषामा अध्ययन अध्यापनका निम्ति आवश्यक पहल गर्दै छौं,’ लक्ष्य प्राप्तिका निम्ति छिमेकी गाउँपालिकासँग सहकार्य गर्ने उल्लेख गर्दै रावल भन्छन्, ‘यहाँको संस्कृतिहरूको प्रवद्र्धन गर्ने, ऐतिहासिक, धार्मिक, सांस्कृतिक थलोको संरक्षण र पर्यटकीय विकासलाई प्राथमिकतामा राखेर लागिपरेका छौं ।’ खस भाषाका अध्ययनकर्ता रमानन्द आचार्यले जिल्ला विकास समिति जुम्लाको सहयोगमा खस भाषाको शब्द संकलन गरेका छन् भने उक्त ‘खसिया आखर’ शब्दकोश प्रकाशोन्मुख छ ।

The story of Seto Machhindranath: Kathmandu’s God of rain

The story of Seto Machhindranath: Kathmandu’s God of rain

Shashwat Pant, March 22nd, Thursday, 2018 11:30 AM
https://onlinekhabar.com

Ram Kaji Shrestha, 49, is making sure the chariot of Seto Machindranath, a deity worshiped by Hindus as the god of rain and Buddhists as Awalokiteshwor, is ready by Sunday.
He has been volunteering to build the chariot which stands high at Durbar Marg for the last decade. He does this because he feels the good deed will grant him happiness in life. “My father used to do it too. He always told me that if we help build the chariot good things will happen to us and we will live longer and if I look back I think he was right as he lived for 93 years,” says Shrestha.
The chariot is prepared by the members of the guthi about 10 days before the festival. Shrestha along with eight other members of the guthi are building the chariot. “For building the chariot, we will all receive the blessing of Jana Baha Dyah (Seto Machindranath) who has been looking after us and our family for generations,” he adds as he observes others to make sure that there are no problems with the 30-foot-high chariot.
There are numerous myths as to why the festival is celebrated. For many, the celebration simply marks the end of winter and beginning of the spring and rainy seasons. Locals at Jana Bahal, the temple where the idol of Seto Machindranath is kept, have their own stories. One of the most popular myths has to do with Yamaraj, the god of death and his visit to Swyambhunath.
According to the myth, Lord Seto Machhindranath appeared in a pond near present-day Ranipokhari, during the reign of Yaksha Malla. Here’s how the story goes: having heard a lot about Swayambhunath and its mystical powers Yamaraj came to visit the holy place so he too could go to heaven one day. As he was returning back, the king, with help from his tantric priest, captured the god of death and demanded that he make him immortal in return for his freedom. A mortal god himself, Yamraj told the king that he couldn’t give anyone that power. The king didn’t let him go. Yamraj summoned Lord Arya Awalokiteshwor, a manifestation of Bodhisattva, to free him from the king.
The lord, white in colour, emerged the water and told the king that neither Yamaraj nor he could grant him immortality. The lord also told him to build a temple where the Kalmati and Bagmati rivers met. “Anyone who visits the temple will live a long life, that’s all I can do,” the lord is said to have told the king, who had no other option but to free Yamaraj.
He also told the king to organise a ratha yatra every year for three days starting from Chaitra Sukla Ashtami (this Sunday) so that he could go to the houses of those people who cannot move, because of disability or stay longer in their houses and to bless them. Ever since then, the procession takes place every year from the same place where the lord presented himself to King Yaksha Malla.
The Chariot
During the festival, the idol of Seto Machhindranath is removed from his temple at Jana Baha and carried in a palanquin to Durbar Marg from where the actual procession starts. There it is installed in the car built in the shape of a tower on wheels.
The four huge wheels of the chariot, each represents separate avatars of Bhairav. The chariot has 10 storeys, which are believed to be the houses of lords Indra, Barun, Kuber, Agni, Nairithya, Bayubya, Bramha, Mahadev, and Narayan, respectively.
The idol of Seto Machindranath is perched on the first storey of the chariot. The section, decorated with precious stones, is supposed to be guarded by two other idols of two avatars of Goddess Tara.
The procession
As the image is placed on the chariot, musicians play their long trumpets to announce the installation. A ceremonial guard of honour is then given by soldiers dressed in ancient uniforms who perform rifle salute with their muskets.
The crowd then pulls the chariot through central Kathmandu accompanied by musical bands.
The Route
On the first day, the chariot is pulled from Jamal, Durbar Marg through Bhotahiti to Asan where it makes an overnight halt. The next day, the chariot is taken to Indra Chok and Kathmandu Durbar Square where it makes its second stop.
On the third day, it is pulled through Maru and Chikan Mugal to Lagan at the southern end of the historic section of Kathmandu. There the procession ends after the chariot makes three rounds of the temple housing the mother of Janabaha Dyo.
Worshippers bring trays of offerings and light rows of butter lamps to honour the deity wherever the chariot stops.
On the fourth day, after a special puja, the idol is carried back to the temple. The chariot is disassembled and the parts stored for next year.

कला र संस्कृतिको संरक्षणमा सांस्कृतिक संस्थान

कला र संस्कृतिको संरक्षणमा सांस्कृतिक संस्थान

रातोपाटी, काठमाडौँ - सांस्कृतिक संस्थानले विभिन्न जातजाति, संस्कृति तथा कलासँग सम्बन्धित देशका दुर्लभ नृत्य, गीतसंगीतको संरक्षण गर्नाका साथै जुनसुकै बेलामा ती कला र संस्कृति प्रस्तुती गर्न सकिने जनाएको छ । 

सो संस्थानका अनुसार बज्रयान बौद्ध परम्परामा आधारित चर्या नृत्यसहित मञ्जुश्री, आर्यतारा, पञ्चबुद्ध तथा कुमारी, भैरवकाली, बज्रयोगीनी, तामाङ्गसेलो, साकेला, धिमाल, सतार, धिन्तामै, सोरठीलगायत ५१ प्रकारका नृत्य, गीतसंगीत, लोकगीत,आदि रहेकाछन् ।

नेपालमा लोप हुन लागेको संस्कृति, नाटक, नृत्य बाजा तथा गीतसंगीतको संरक्षण गर्ने, खोज तथा अनुसन्धान गर्ने उद्देश्य रहेको सो संस्थानले हाल सांस्कृतिक कार्यक्रम गर्ने, नाच, प्रशिक्षार्थीलाई प्रशिक्षण दिने, लोपोन्मुख कला, संस्कृति तथा नाटकको अनुसन्धान तथा खोजबिन गर्ने तथा प्रशिक्षण प्राप्त विद्यार्थीलाई विभिन्न विदेशी मुलुकमा जानका लागि सिफारिश गर्ने काम गर्दै आएको छ । 

रासससँग कुरा गर्दै संस्थानका सूचना अधिकारी पवित्रा पँगेनीले संस्थानले हाल नियमित रुपमा नेपाली भाषाका नाटक, नृत्य, लोकगीतजस्ता कलासंस्कृतिको प्रदर्शन गर्ने गर्दै आएको बताए । यो वर्ष आफ्नै कार्यालय सांस्कृतिक संस्थानसहित गोकर्ण रिसोर्ट, राष्ट्रपति भवन, भृकुटीमण्डप, झापाको विर्तामोड, कैलालीको टीकापुरजस्ता स्थानमा मादल प्रतियोगिता, सार्क आर्टिष्ट क्याम्प, गोपाल योन्जन स्मृति कार्यक्रम, गजल उत्सव, नृत्य प्रशिक्षण, सडक नाटक तथा किराँतेश्वर शास्त्रीय संगीत गरी कूल ६२ वटा कार्यक्रम सम्पन्न गरेको उनले बताए । 

सांस्कृतिक संस्थानमा कार्यक्रम अवलोकनका लागि आएका कर्म लामाले नेपालको कला, संस्कृति तथा दुर्लभ नाचहरुको संरक्षण गरी भावी पिँढीलाई पनि हेर्ने तथा अनुुभूत गर्ने मौका दिनु सरकार तथा कलाप्रेमीको दायित्व रहेको बताए । उनले नेपालीका अतिरिक्त अन्य भाषाका वाद्यवादन, कला, संस्कृति तथा नाचलाई काठमाडौँ उपत्यकासहित विभिन्न प्रदेशमा पु¥याउनुपर्ने आवश्यकता औंल्याए । 

सो संस्थानबाट उत्पादित कलाकारहरु नाटकतर्फ घिमिरे युवराज, राजन खतिवडा, कृष्ण शाह यात्री, प्रदीप पुमा तथा नृत्यतर्फ सारंगा श्रेष्ठ, सोनी गुरुङ, मेनुका भण्डारी तथा बिमला श्रेष्ठ एवं संगीततर्फ खड्क बुढा, शिव परियार आदिले कला सेवामा योगदान गर्दै आएका छन् । 

हाल वरिष्ठ नाटककार वीरेन्द्र हमाल र खड्क बुढाले माडल तथा पञ्चनारायण महर्जनले तबला, मुनुज जोशी र शारदा सिलवालले नृत्यको प्रशिक्षण दिँदै आएका छन् । 

 

http://www.ratopati.com/story/32207

 

 

The myths about Community Policing

On 26 May 2014, I attended an interaction program on community policing with the senior police officers at the national police academy. Community policing is based on the philosophy of cooperation and partnership. The community's interest with the police is safety and security from crimes and violence. The police's interest is to solve crime problems in society. The police cannot do this job all alone. They have to seek cooperation from community members. For this purpose, they seek help from community members. In a way, they work in partnership with the community for the desired goal. The police may use two tactics in this process: establish permanent units in the community or work with the community as and when required. In other words, they work in partnership with the community to solve a specific security or crime problem and when it is achieved, they withdraw.
There are some myths associated with community policing. These are:
-community policing solves all problems
-community policing is different police from the regular police force
-community policing is soft policing or lenient to crime and criminals
No, unfortunately all the above myths are not true. The community policing is only the strategy of the police force to solve specific crime or law and order problems.
Who funds this program? As this is a police duty to protect the community from crime and violence, it becomes the duty of government to fund the activities of all community police.
Who owns this program? The community, the whole police force, and the government must own this policing style. It should be mentioned in the law and policies of the government and police in particular.
What could be the best way to foster such policing style? The recruitment of local people for policing in their localities will be the best way to enhance this strategy. In other words, the police should be made accountable to local communities or local bodies, like village development committee and municipality.

Human trafficking from Asia to Africa

From Asia to Africa: Women trafficked to Kenya’s Bollywood-style dance bars

Published: August 08, 2019

THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

MOMBASA: Nepali beautician Sheela didn’t think twice about ditching her salon job when she received a call offering seven times her salary to work as a cultural dancer at a nightclub in Kenya.

It didn’t matter that the 23-year-old woman from a village in the Himalayan foothills had never heard of the East African nation. Or that she had no experience as a dancer, had never met the owner of the club, and was not shown an employment contract.

With elderly parents to care for and medical bills to clear after her brother suffered a motorbike accident, the offer of 60,000 Kenyan shillings ($600) monthly, with food, housing and transport costs all covered, was a no-brainer for Sheela.

“(But) it was not what I expected,” said Sheela, who was rescued with 11 other Nepali women from a nightclub in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa in April where she danced on stage from 9 pm to 4 am getting tips from male clients.

“I was told that being escorted everywhere by the driver, not leaving the flat except for work, and not having my passport or phone, was for my safety,” added Sheela, who did not want to give her real name, at a safe house in Mombasa’s Shanzu suburb.

A rising number of women and girls are leaving South Asian nations such as Nepal, India and Pakistan to work in Bollywood-style dance bars in Kenya’s adult entertainment industry – many illegally – according to anti-trafficking activists and police.

There is no official data on the numbers but the results of police raids, combined with figures on repatriation of rescued women, suggest scores of women and underage girls are victims of organised human trafficking from South Asia to Kenya.

Latest figures from Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) showed 43 women and girls were repatriated from dance bars in Kenya and neighbouring Tanzania in 2016/17. There were no comparison numbers available.

To date, there have been few prosecutions to raise awareness about what authorities fear is a growing trend, but April’s rescue and subsequent arrest threw a spotlight on the issue.

SPOTLIGHT ON RISING TREND

The owner of the Mombasa Club, Asif Amirali Alibhai Jetha, was charged with three counts of human trafficking, accused of harbouring victims for the purpose of deception, using premises to promote trafficking and confiscation of passports.

The Canadian-British national denied the charges in court, pleading not guilty, saying the women were in Kenya of their own consent and legally employed as cultural dancers at a business with no erotic dancing or sexual exploitation.

He is currently on bail awaiting the next court hearing with no date yet set.

Common in India, so-called mujra dance bars – where young women dance to Bollywood music for money from male patrons – have mushroomed in cities including Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, where there are countless Kenyans of South Asian descent.

Police and anti-trafficking groups have repeatedly voiced concerns that some of these private clubs are used as a front to ensnare women and girls, some in sex slavery, with women forced to pay off loans by erotic dancing or having sex with clients.

Sheela and the other women rescued from the Mombasa club told the Thomson Reuters Foundation they had not been forced to have sex with customers.

Anita Nyanjong, a lawyer for human rights group Equality Now, said it was hard to get to the truth as survivors of trafficking often would not admit what had happened.

“Most victims come from poor conservative families and there are shame and stigma attached to this kind of thing,” she said.

“Even though victims may have been forced or duped into sex work, they may be convinced by traffickers not to speak … told they will be arrested for prostitution if they admit it.”

In Kenya, many local women and girls are promised good jobs only to be enslaved in domestic servitude or forced into prostitution – often in the sex tourism industry.

Kenya is home to about 328,000 modern-day slaves – about 1 in 143 of its population – according to the Global Slavery Index by the Walk Free Foundation, an Australia-based rights group.

POLICE RAIDS

But in recent years police raids on mujra bars – named after a traditional Asian dance – uncovered organised human trafficking from South Asia to Kenya, a trend highlighted by the United States in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.

“The raids have helped us understand the modus operandi of traffickers in Kenya who have agents overseas to recruit women for them,” an official from Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said on condition of anonymity.

“They are offered jobs as cultural dancers and given around one month’s salary in advance. But when they arrive, their movements are restricted and they have to do erotic and sexually explicit dancing – and often have to have sex with clients.”

Such victims enter Kenya either on a three-month tourist visa on arrival for South Asians or on a special temporary work permit for cultural performers, according to the DCI official.

Sheela and the other 11 women rescued in Mombasa said they had come to Kenya separately over the past nine months on flights through India and Ethiopia arranged by the club owner.

In court testimonies, the women, aged 16 to 34, said they were told to carry hand luggage only and tell immigration officials they were visiting friends or family in Kenya.

The women worked every night, were given stage names, and were expected to earn about $4,000 each per month in tips.

“We didn’t get the tips as they were for the boss,” said Meena, 20, who did not want to give her real name. “But the top-performing girls would get bonuses of 20,000 shillings ($200), 30,000 ($300), and 50,000 ($500) if they met their targets.”

The women told the court their passports were taken and they did not know the location of the club or their accommodation.

Paul Adhoch, head of Trace Kenya, a charity that provided shelter to the group of 12, said the women did not identify as victims but their treatment suggested otherwise.

“The way they were deceptively recruited, the under-the-radar manner in which they were brought into Kenya, restrictions on their freedoms and movements, their passports being taken – are all clear signs of human trafficking,” he said.

The women were repatriated to Nepal in July.

“This whole thing has been terrible,” said Sonia, 24, who did want to give her real name, the day before she left.

“I should never have come – it was a mistake. All I want to do is go home. I never come to Kenya again.”

 

कोरोना भाइरसको रोकथामका लागी सही र प्रभावकारी ढंगले काम गर्न सकेनौ

कोरोना भाइरसको प्रकृति लाइ हामीले बुझेर पनि यसको रोकथामकालागी सही र प्रभावकारी ढंगले काम गर्न सकेनौ । यसका केही कारण हरु यी हुन ।

१. सरकारले लकडाउन भनेर बैठकबाट घोषणा गर्ने काम मात्र भयो । स्थानीय स्तरमा यसको लागी पूर्व तयारी, जनचेतना, अनुगमन, र तत्कालै जाँच गर्ने कर्मचारी र उपकरण उपलब्ध भएनन् ।

२. रणनीति र कार्यक्रम हरु प्रत्येक नागरिकलाइ बुझाउन सकिएन । नेपाली भाषामा मात्र टेलीफोन, रेडियो र टेलीभजिन हरुले भनेका कुरा धेरै मानिसहरुले राम्रो संग बुझन सकेनन् । स्थानीय भाषमा पर्चा पम्फलेटको प्रयोग बढी नतिजामुखी हुन्थे ।

३. अपर्याप्त तयारीका बीच प्रहरी कर्मचारी लाइ मात्र सडकमा खटाएर ढुक्क बस्ने काम भयो । तर जनस्तरमा यस बारे स्थानीय संघ स्ंस्था संग हातेमालाे गर्ने काम प्रभावकारी रूपमा भएन ।

४. स्थानीय स्तरमा वडा कार्यालय हरुलाइ अग्रीम रुपमा तयार गरीने काम भएन । स्थानीय वडा कार्यालय हरुलाइ कुनै पनि तालीम वा निर्देशन दिइएन ।

५. वडा कार्यालय हरु लाइ कुनै किसीमको सुरक्षात्मक उपकरण वा सामाग्री हरु उपलब्ध गराइएन ।

६. वडा कार्यालय हरुले स्थानीय स्तरमा रहेका कयौं टोल सुधार समिति हरु, संघ संस्था हरु संग हातेमालो गर्ने रणनीति अवलम्बन गरीयन । स्थानीय वडा तथा टोल स्तरमा कार्यरत स्वास्थ्य केन्द्र हरु संग समन्वय भएन ।

७. लकडाउन गर्नु अघि यथेस्थ तयारी र सचेतना गर्न सकिएन । जसका कारण कयौं मानिसहरु शहरबाट गाउँघरमा जाँदा दुख व्यहोर्नु परयो ।

८. नागरिकले सामान्य मास्क जस्ता बस्तु पनि बजारमा पायनन् । आपतकालीन अवस्थामा कसलाइ सम्पर्क गर्ने र अस्पताल जान परेमा कसरी सेवा प्राप्त हुन्छ भन्ने यथेस्थ जानकारी छैन ।

९. दैनिक आवश्यक पर्ने खाद्य पदार्थ हरुको उचित व्यवस्थापन हुन सकेन । एक दुइ महिनाकालागी आवश्यक वस्तु हरु संग्रह गर्न नागरिकलाइ पहिलेनै मानसिक रुपमा तयार गरीएन ।

१०. अस्पतालहरुमा यथेस्थ डाक्टर तथा नर्स हरुलाइ अनुशिक्षण तथा अति आवश्यक पर्ने उपकरण र व्यक्तिगत सुरक्षा किट दिन सकिएन ।

११. राहतका लागी स्थानीय स्तरका कार्यालय हरुलाइ अग्रीम रुपमा बजेट दिइएन । समयमा नागरिक हरुले राहत पाउन सकेका छैनन् । ठुला उद्योग हरुले दिएको चन्दाको पैसा सरकारको खातामा छ तर उसका संयन्त्र सकृय छैनन् । स्थानीय संघ संस्थाहरु स्वस्फुर्त रुपमा काम गरी रहेका छन् तर उनि हरु संग पैसा छैन । जस्तै डा. महाविर पुनको राष्ट्रिय आविस्कार केन्द्र ।

१२. अत्यावश्य सेवाकालागी भन्दा यति वेला पनि ठुला वडाको पहुँचका आधारमा पास बाडने काम भयो । पासको औचित्य र गम्भीरता सिफारीश गर्नेले र पास दिने कार्यालयले बुझेनन् ।

१३ं. सरकारले कोरोनाको रोकथामकालागी नागरिक समाजमा रहेका विशेषज्ञ तथा अनुभवि हरु संग राय सल्लाह पनि लिइएन ।

१४. नागरिकका जीवन भन्दा पनि आर्थिक कारण हरु लाइ बढी महत्व दिंदा कोरोनाको संक्रमण पुनः बढेको छ ।