An unexpected sanctuary

THE large iron gates of Maiti Nepal swung open and a woman of tiny stature,

but great presence, greeted Radhika warmly. With outstretched arms, she

beckoned Radhika and Rohan forward, grasping them both firmly but gently in a

warm hug.

‘Welcome. My name is Anuradha Koirala and Maiti Nepal will be your home

for as long as you wish.’

The woman’s manner was immediately reassuring. After her reception at the

police station, Radhika had felt nervous about going to the refuge in central

Kathmandu. Even with her sister beside her to hold her hand, she was deeply

afraid. She had lost a great deal of trust in human nature and this was a huge leap

of faith given everything she had been through. But what choice did she have but

to accept charity if necessary? She couldn’t live with her family and she was

well aware that Rohan needed stability and sanctuary.

Unbeknown to Radhika, Parvati had already made a brief call to the refuge,

informing staff of her sister’s plight. Maiti Nepal’s healing process immediately

swung into action. For the first time in years, Radhika felt tempted to relax.

There was something about this woman, even though she had never set on eyes

on her before, that inspired trust. And she needed to entrust herself and Rohan

into someone else’s care. After all the heartache and rejection, her experiences at

the hands of the police, she needed someone to be kind to them.

And now, thanks to a chance encounter, Lady Luck, the gods, whatever one

might choose to call it, had led Radhika and Rohan to true sanctuary. They had

truly been transported somewhere safe, into the hands of one of the leading

human rights activists in South Asia.

Sensing Radhika’s disquiet, Anuradha placed a reassuring arm around the

young girl’s shoulders and asked her to sign the entry book.

Scratching Radhika Phuyal and the date 24 April 2008 on the page, she felt

finally as if she could let go of the bitterness, the heartache, the unhappiness. Her

four-year-old son’s hand clasped tightly in her own, she looked into the warm

brown eyes of the woman hugging her.

Radhika closed her eyes, finally able to acknowledge that she and Rohan had

found a home.

The diminuitive lady who had met them so welcomingly at the gates to the

refuge’s compound was Anuradha Koirala, the founder and executive director of

Maiti Nepal.

This former English teacher started Maiti (which means ‘mother’s home’ in

Nepali) in 1993. Anuradha’s own history in an abusive relationship led her to set

up this groundbreaking venture. For most of her young adulthood, she taught

primary school English in Nepal, but when her own marriage became violent,

her life’s purpose and responsibility completely changed. After that relationship

ended, Anuradha used a portion of her £68 per month salary to start a small retail

shop employing and supporting displaced victims of sex trafficking and

domestic violence. At the same time she was raising her son, Manish, now 29,

single-handedly.

By the early 1990s, an increasing demand for help and persistent cases of

violence against women compelled Anuradha to do more. Maiti Nepal was her

brainchild for giving voice, legal representation and rehabilitation to victims of

sex trafficking. The charity now has facilities throughout Nepal and India, but

most of the rehabilitation work takes place at its main site in Kathmandu.

Anuradha says: ‘When a girl first comes to Maiti Nepal … we just let her [be]

for as long as she needs. We let her play, dance, walk, talk to a friend. Like

Radhika, many girls are afraid at first, but eventually they will talk to us.’

The group also takes in rape and domestic violence survivors, as well as

abandoned children.

For years, Anuradha was shunned by Nepalese society who frowned on her

activities, believing she was sullying her reputation by mixing with ‘unclean’

people. But she remained undeterred. The crusading 59-year-old has transformed

countless lives with the project. ‘Everybody comes to Maiti Nepal.’

Today, she is a widely recognized activist, who has dedicated her life to combatting the sexual exploitation of women and children. Accommodating the

many people who need help requires a large staff of teachers, counsellors and

medical personnel – and dozens of bunk beds. Many of the staff are sex-

trafficking survivors now committed to helping rehabilitate other girls. The work

is funded by grants and donations from around the world. Post-rescue recovery

is comprehensive. Maiti Nepal provides medical treatment, psychological and

legal counselling, formal court filings and criminal prosecution, all for free.

It houses 83 women and 252 children, including orphans of the Maoist war

(the conflict between government forces and Maoist rebels in Nepal, which

lasted from 1996 until 2006). Among the children, 24 are HIV positive, infected

from their mothers, who were trafficked into brothels.

When Radhika arrived at the refuge, she like the many girls and children

before her, immediately sensed that she was in the presence of someone great,

someone who could help turn her life around.

She says: ‘Anuradha was caring but firm and she seemed to know exactly

what to do. I thought we might head straight to our room but she knew what was

most important.

‘She first took us to the legal section [of Maiti Nepal] and asked me to give a

statement about my experiences.

‘I was very nervous and scared but somehow I instinctively trusted her to do

the right thing. I tried to recall the events of the past seven years as best as I

could and it actually felt like a release to remember.’

Anuradha had heard many trafficking stories over the years but Radhika’s

struck her as particularly poignant.

‘I feared initially that Radhika was a lost cause. She was broken and Rohan

was absolutely lost. He wouldn’t speak to anybody and was constantly hiding. I

knew there was a lot of work ahead of us,’ she remembers.

Radhika believes that her healing process started from the moment she was

shown to her room at Maiti Nepal.