This was the photo that opened my eyes
to the issues with present day human trafficking. 

I don’t recall where I saw the photo, where it was posted or even when – but it opened my eyes.  The first time I saw it, I immediately did a quick Google search to find out more about these children strapped to slabs of rock.  To my surprise this was not a case of children working for their families or some unfamiliar cultural ritual.  No, these children are slaves.  Making several trips down the mountain each day, delivering stones from higher up in the Himalayas.

Kamaiya, a traditional system of bonded labor, is still active in southern Nepal.  Since the 17th century, people without land would be provided loans in exchange for work on the landowner’s land, as slaves.  Debts were so large that whole families were forced into slave labor for years and sometimes generations.  Even though the government of Nepal, in 2000 has announced that the Kamaiya system be banned, all Kamiyas be freed and their debts cancelled.  The system continues.  These former Kamaiyas who have been evicted by their former landlords are now living in extreme poverty without support.

The fact that the Government of Nepal did not abolish this practice until 2000 is heinous.

Today, girls and young women are sold by their parents into indentured servitude to richer employers.  These girls can be sold for as little as $50 for 3-5 years of their young lives.  They work 12-16 hours a day, are typically not provided an education and are often treated poorly by their employers, including sexual abuse and physical punishments.  In 2006, the Supreme Court of Nepal affirmed that this practice is also illegal.

The challenges are complex, these families live in extreme poverty, parts of the culture accept this practice allowing the employers to openly enslave these children and the Government of Nepal has not taken strong enough steps to abolish these practices.

It is estimated, 44.2% of Nepal’s population lives under the poverty line, according to the United Nations Development Program’s International Human Development Indicator.  CNN reported in August of 2013, an estimated 1.6 million children between the ages of five and 17 years are in the work force, according to the National Child Labor Report, even though child labor is illegal in Nepal.

You can hear Lisa Kristine, the amazing photographer credited for the photograph above, talk of her experiences photographing these images on TED Talks.

You can explore more of her work at her website @ www.lisakristine.com.