Darren has been with Every Daughter Matters since 2021. Recently Every Daughter Matters has been “adopted” by some crazy Youtubers whose video last year attracted 24 million subscribers and is making the organisation more visible throughout the world.
Darren showed us some videos of his own where volunteers man booths at the border, and when something doesn’t look right – such as very young girls obviously not accompanied by their parents, or in the company of an older man, are asked to come to the booth to show identification and discuss their reasons for crossing into India. If they do go across the border, they disappear in India. They are unable to speak the language, and will never be able to find the way home on their own.
Nepalese girls are for the most part, very poor, vulnerable and naïve, ready to believe anyone they “talk” to on social media that they will get a good job, have a great romance enjoy a nice life in India. The girls are lured on by being told that all costs incurred in travelling to the border will be covered, as long as they don’t tell their parents. They are sold for prostitution, labour, street begging or even organ harvesting, especially kidneys.
It is estimated that 25,000 girls are trafficked from Nepal to India, with 2.3 per cent rescued by Every Daughter Matters and other agencies. The border between Nepal and India is the busiest human trafficking site in the world. No papers or ID are required to cross between the two countries.
There are 13 interception booths manned by trained counsellors and supported by the police.
Every single day, traffickers with young girls are intercepted. Sometimes the girls are angry that what they see as a better life is denied to them. If their parents cannot be contacted or they cannot return home, they are taken to an emergency shelter.
After a few days, they begin to understand what kind of life may have awaited them in India.
There are 70 front line staff. Twenty of the girls were rescued from being trafficked themselves.
This year to May, there has been 152 total intercepts. Every Daughter Matters have performed 5000 rescues in six years.
Applecross Rotary Club have financed 10 of those rescues. A Perth woman turning 40, asked her friends to bring along money to her birthday, and donated $17,000.
Future aims for Every Daughter Matters include upgrading booths and emergency shelters, opening another booth, a lawyer for legal support, prevention and awareness in schools and educational scholarships.