Reflections on a first week in Kathmandu
Like most of my time in Nepal, this weekend was an eventful one. On Saturday, I headed out to Thamel, the tourist area of Kathmandu. To get there I somewhat figured out how to catch the public bus - and by that I mean I watched several of them pass me by while men hung half out of the bus yelling things which I imagine were inquiries as to whether I needed the bus to stop. Luckily, traffic stalled and I was able to hop in for 20 rupees (about $0.20). I was not entirely sure where to get off, but I managed to find my way to the heart of Thamel. The streets there are truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen, lined with rows and rows of souvenir stores and the insanity of pedestrians, motorbikes, cars, and tuk-tuks which are little bikes with carriages to transport people.
Thankfully I found refuge in a beautiful bookstore called Pilgrim’s Books and even ran into some friends my brother and I made on our Everest Trek! Having spent most of my morning perusing the store, I found my way to a restaurant with great reviews. While there I met a lawyer from the D.C. who has been coming to Nepal for years as a plaintiffs lawyer for migrant workers who are injured or killed while contracted by the U.S. Hearing about his career was fascinating and very encouraging to hear how he maintains a practice at home but still pursues his interests in international law through his work in Nepal. And, small world, he even knows a member of the William & Mary Board of Directors!
Feeling elated from a delicious meal and great conversation, I headed over to Kathmandu Durbar Square, which was one of the royal palaces in Kathmandu. Getting there was a challenge, as the streets were even more narrow and cars continued to pass through unphased by the congestion. Luckily, I brought my dusk mask, which seems to be a necessity in Kathmandu. Unfortunately, Durbar Square is still being renovated due to the earthquake from 2015 and, sensing the rain that is typical of Kathmandu’s monsoon season coming, I grabbed a taxi and headed home.
Kathmandu Durbar Square
Sunday was spent doing errands like going to the supermarket and doing laundry for the next week. I will never again take for granted the ease with which we make our purchases in the U.S. Finding the foods I’m used to have been a challenge and most of my dinners thus far have consisted of pasta. Though I’ll admit, I did treat myself to the only fast food I’ve seen in the city: KFC. And yes, it was definitely finger licking good.
It is the start of a new week, which gave me a whole weekend to reflect on my first week at Hamro Samman. I realize that I could not have come to Nepal at a better time. Following a civil war that ended in 2006, Nepal has moved into a democratic government, ratifying their Constitution in 2015 and holding their first democratic elections under that Constitution at the end of last year. In fact, just last week Nepal passed their first federal budget. In law school we spend so much time learning about the foundation of our nation and the speculate as to the intent of the founders. Nepal has the opportunity to create their own experiment in democracy and it is truly fascinating to watch it all happen. I have also been especially impressed as to how inclusive the Nepalese Constitution is, making a point to include sections on gender-based, religious, and ethnic discrimination.
I have also spent my time reading up on international standards of counter trafficking responses, such as the Palermo Protocol, and evaluating how Nepalese law falls in line with these standards and differs. It is clear that Nepal is concerned about sex trafficking of women and children, but failure to adopt the Palermo Protocol has resulted in legislative gaps to address labor trafficking, in which victims are predominantly males. Nepal has recruitment agencies which employ citizens for foreign work. While these agencies can create economic growth and opportunity for these laborers, some are linked to labor trafficking schemes and are not monitored as closely as necessary to prevent exploitation of laborers. There is also little recourse due to existing stigma which prevents victims from reporting traffickers, lack of training for police and prosecutors, and the law’s shortcomings in acknowledging labor trafficking as human trafficking. Additionally, for men in Nepal who are victims of trafficking there are few resources to help them, with only one male shelter in the country run by an NGO.
Recognizing these challenges is the first part of the problem, next is implementing programs which will affect positive change in counter trafficking. Hamro Samman means “Our Respect” and that’s a very consistent philosophy within the project. Hamro Samman is not seeking to push any political agenda or tell the Nepalese government what it should or should not be doing, only to help develop the current capacity of Nepalese infrastructure in combating human trafficking. In fact, with the exception of the Chief of Party and myself, all the employees at Hamro Samman are Nepali and the goal is to help current counter trafficking institutions run more effectively and independently by the close of the project in 2022. I appreciate that Hamro Samman is about creating a sustainable system for progress in Nepal.
I also received the good news that the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, with whom we are working closely on shelter assessments, approved our assessment tool, which means I will soon be going into the field! I am so excited about having a hands-on experience and being able to contribute to the project in a meaningful way. Until then, I am researching the various districts Hamro Samman will be working with and creating a district profile to better assess the district’s economic development, social development, foreign labor migration, trafficking profile and risk factors, resources, and challenges. Once the research is completed it will allow Hamro Samman to make recommendations and perhaps even guide some of Hamro Samman’s grant program. I know it will be rewarding to have my research support tangible objectives of the project and I hope to keep up with the progress made even after my time here comes to a close.
Until next time!
Hailey