Demi Moore Travels to Nepal to Fight Human Trafficking

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher speaking about DNA at Clinton Global initiative

This past June Demi Moore traveled to Nepal with CNN’s Freedom Project to shoot a documentary film about the plight of women and children in Nepal forced into prostitution and sex slavery.
Nepal, the country of origin for much of the wool used in Yak head-wear, is a popular tourist destination for adventure seekers, hikers and history buffs. However, the scenic and historic country is also a popular destination for something much less beautiful – human trafficking.

During her 5-day visit to the Himalayan country, Moore visited with a small, yet passionate organization dedicated to protecting Nepalese women and girls from forced prostitution and sex slavery. Maiti Nepal, which translates roughly to “Mother’s Home” aims to prevent human trafficking over the Nepalese border into India. The organization operates at 10 of the 26 border crossings in Nepal, and intercepts an average of 20 potential sex slaves each day.

Part way through her visit, Moore met with the organization’s founder, Anuradha Koirala, a 62-year old former school teacher who won the CNN Hero of the Year Award in 2010, and appeared in a joint press conference to help raise awareness about the organization and its work. Moore also met with many of the women the organization has helped throughout its 20-year history, and participated in the filming of a documentary that hopes to share their stories. Back in the USA, Moore continues to fight against sexual slavery through the work of her and her husband’s charity, The Demi and Ashton (DNA) Foundation.

Here at Yak Apparel, we are joining the fight against human trafficking by working with Maiti Nepal to help provide fair-wage employment for women who have been victims of sexual slavery, or who are at risk of being targeted by traffickers. Being able to earn a living wage greatly reduces a women’s risk of being exploited by traffickers, and Yak apparel is proud of its efforts to collaborate with Anuradha to employ the women they serve in the manufacturing of Yak hats.
For more information about Maiti Nepal and the fight against human trafficking in the Himalayan region, visit www.maitinepal.org.

-Hanna Perlmutter

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