Charity group moves to end human trafficking

Christian Century, Dec 23, 1998

A British charity called Action Aid has announced a campaign that will focus on the trafficking of women and children for sex in Asia. The overseas development charity stated that organized crime rings target poverty-stricken women and children, and that 1 million women are annually sold into prostitution in Asia.

Of particular concern to the organization is the plight of Nepalese women who are often taken to prostitution houses in India. Furthermore, Action Aid claimed that more than 650,000 children, some as young as ten, are victims of sex trafficking in Asia. Commented Archana Tang, a worker for the charity in Nepal: "It is not acceptable to sit back and allow trafficking to continue. It is brutal and demeaning and is ruining the lives of thousands of women and children."

Action Aid called for both governmental and public support. It will organize an international letter-writing campaign appealing to heads of government in south Asia to eliminate the practice of sex trafficking and urging enforcement of international law to protect women and children. The organization also wants rehabilitation to be provided for those who have escaped prostitution.