Nepali Sex-Trade Victims Call Themselves ‘Walking Dead’
These Nepali women refer to themselves as “the walking dead.”
Most have AIDS or are HIV-positive. Their environment is one of cruelty, abuse and hopelessness.
They are victims of the sex-trade industry in Nepal.
Nepal is one of the largest epicenters for sex trafficking, conveniently nestled between trafficker exporting destinations like India and China, and not far from the Middle East.
According to Nepal Monitor, nongovernmental organizations estimate that at least 15,000 Nepali women and girls are trafficked into India each year, and around 7,500 are trafficked within Nepal’s borders.
The sex-trafficking industry in Nepal is growing. But Vision Beyond Borders (VBB) wants to end all that—one rescued life at a time. VBB sponsors a safe house in Nepal for women and girls who have been rescued from the sex trade.
Wes Flint with Vision Beyond Borders says, “It’s more than just getting them out of sex trafficking; it’s providing a safe and secure place where they, too, get to know the God who saves, and that’s Jesus Christ.”
Women and girls at the safe house not only hear the gospel message, but also get to learn a trade to support themselves.
“These girls that were abducted often were abducted at a very young age, and they’ve never seen anything or known anything different [than prostitution].” Flint states. “We purchase a lot of the things that these ladies make to help support their lives and support this ministry.”
Some of the rescued women have even been inspired with their new-found faith in Christ to get involved in the ministry. Flint says, “Now these girls, as they grow and mature in the faith, they too are going out and are being used by God to do the same thing … to help rescue girls and get them into the safe house.”
Flint leads some of the VBB teams that minister to these women, building relationships with them and bringing supplies like clothing, blankets, and medicine.
“When you see their faces, it just radiates from them when they realize there is hope, there is more to life than what this world has delivered to them.”
Through VBB’s ministry, God’s Word is transforming these women who were “walking dead” into vibrant jewels in His love.
