Dates: 2011 – 2014
Funded by: Geneva Global
To address the root causes of intra- and international trafficking to the sex industry and exploitative child labor, the Geneva Global-funded Human Liberty Initiative (HLI) works to relieve poverty, increase access to education, and build communities’ capacities to engage in prevention efforts. HLI work targets the Tamang communities in Nuwakot and Makwanpur who have historically been exploited and trafficked to India for commercial sexual activity; the Muslim communities in Rautahat and Sarlahi who are trafficked to India and the Kathmandu valley for zari work; Janajatis who are trafficked for domestic labor; and Tharu and Dalit communities who work in the brick industry.
To support access to education, the HLI establishes non-formal education programs for working and at-risk children; supports madrassas by mainstreaming them to the national curriculum; and provides vocational training and Self-employment and Economic Education Program (SEEP) classes for adolescent girls who are too old to enroll in school. In working towards poverty alleviation, HLI trains families in microfinance and livelihood development. The HLI also supports protection for victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation by forming child protection committees and supporting drop-in centers that provide psycho-social counseling and referrals for medical care and legal services. As of 2012, HLI has put 4,120 women and children in non-formal education classes, provided 847 trafficking victims with access to rehabilitation services, and reached 18,444 people through Safe Migration Campaign.