The Initiative Prize

The AGFUND Prize Committee has approved the Initiative Prize, amounting to US$ 40,000 to be awarded to the Integrated Project for Protection and Welfare of Women and Children in Nuwakot District, implemented in Nepal by the Planet Enfants, www.planete-enfants.org through Nepali NGOs; Kakani Community Development Center (KCDC), Society of Ex-Budahnilkantha Students (SEBS)

The Project was selected for the Initiative Prize in recognition of its activities in addressing a major abuse problem and in empowering women and children and upgrading their status.

Having considered the local needs and the root cause of the problem of girl trafficking; the project emphasizes on establishing a precise data base, promoting education, awareness and income generating activities.
The project emphasizes on the preventive approach to the issue of girl trafficking and various other forms of exploitation, especially that of children and women. The different activities of the project addresses socio-economic reasons like illiteracy, poverty, discrimination etc. known to be the root causes behind different forms of exploitation.

Poverty, lack of education & awareness, hardship of life style, discrimination towards women, lack of alternative economic activities, lucrative profit for the traffickers are some of the major factors contributing towards the causes of girl trafficking for prostitution. Like for instance, a considerable number of girls are said to have been sold for prostitution abroad with the consent of their parents. The aforementioned factors also have innumerable negative effects towards development of women and girl children in Nepal.

To eliminate this state of ignorance, poverty, discrimination and state of under-development and the negative aspects that has arisen due to these factors, the project consists of various programmes with long term impact both to tight trafficking and as a development programme as well like:

• Census & Registration Programme
• Awareness Programmes
• Programme of Scholarship for y oung Girls.
• Programme of Income Generating Skill Training for Young Women.

Each specific activity of the project aims to have women educated; vocationally trained; sensitized of relevant issues, economically active. Such outcomes aimed to create chances of better lives and raise awareness to meet the objectives.

The project is innovative in the way that it addresses its objectives in a preventive way by implementing different relevant activities that been the causes behind the problem. The first activity and the most innovative is birth registration of girls to provide them an official identity and a protection against trafficking. Planéte Enfants started birth registration in 1998 which was one of the first country were activity has been implemented by NGOs in the world.

The project combats victimization of women and children by empowering them and making them aware of their vulnerability the risks involved.

Through education of girls the project addresses 2 generations and lays a strong foundation for the later generation to eliminate the problem altogether.

In short, the project aims to prevent girl trafficking from the target area, empower and upgrade the status of women and end sexual discrimination; it also targets to prepare basis for sustained economic development.
This Project is addressing a major abuse problem- the trafficking of girls. It is integrated in nature and apparently efficient in the delivery of services.