Gita Gharti Magar

Maiti Nepal (माइती नेपाल) is a non-profit organization in Nepal dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking. Currently, it operates a rehabilitation home in Kathmandu, as well as transit homes at the Indo-Nepal border towns, preventive homes in the countryside and an academy in Kathmandu .

The word ‘Maiti’ has no literal interpretation in English but in the Nepali language the word ‘maiti’ means the home of the girl’s birth parents. The word itself holds sentimental value for the women population of Nepal “especially for a married Nepali woman who has no longer any right towards her parents or their property”. Once a girl is married to another man, she becomes a perpetual member of her husband’s family. She has all obligations to her husband and her new family. As this organization is a home to all the girls, women and children who are not accepted into their family and society, therefore this NGO has been named as ‘Maiti’ Nepal to symbolize the love and affection that a girl receives in her birth parents place.

Maiti Nepal was established in 1993 by a group of socially committed professionals in order “to protect Nepali girls and women from crimes like domestic violence, trafficking for flesh trade, child prostitution, child labor and various other forms of exploitation and torture”.Since 1993, this organization has been working towards “preventing trafficking for forced prostitution, rescuing flesh trade victims and rehabilitating them."

Anuradh Koirala was born in 1949, to parents Colonel Pratap Singh Gurung and Laxmi Gurung. She completed her schooling at a convent school in Kalimpong, India. Her inspiration to establish an organization for the betterment of women population came from her bitter relationship with her husband, Dinesh Prasad Koirala. After several years of violence, abuse and three miscarriages, she separated from her husband. Anuradha Koirala established Maiti Nepal in 1993 with the aim of providing services for both children and women who have endured untold pain and suffering, often in silence. She not only established Maiti Nepal, she also set up transit homes, academic and medical centre to provide support to the women and children who had no other place to go.

Maiti Nepal provides facilities like :-

One of the major drawbacks of Maiti Nepal’s work has been in rehabilitating the former prostitutes. The other criticism raised against this organization’s work is with its affiliation with an Indian Organization named STOP. STOP has been accused of raiding brothels at midnight and then taking away the girls forcefully and later subjecting them to various kinds of threats. Since Maiti Nepal is affiliated with STOP so when this organization is accused of any issue then it ultimately becomes a concern for Maiti Nepal as STOP hands over all its rescued girls to Maiti Nepal.