Doug Going Photography

Girl Peeking in Ghasa, Nepal

Take A Peek

Ghasa, Nepal

Handprints on Door In Ghasa, NepalA little girl curiously peeks over the edge of a windowsill. From the way her head suddenly popped up it was obvious that she had to stand on her tippy toes. A few seconds later, she dropped back down, never to be seen again.

Sadly, with the recent rise in conflict between Maoist separatists and the Nepali Monarchy, children have gotten caught in the middle, never to be seen again for real. Both sides are using children against the other. In the rural areas, the Maoists have a policy of recruitment — "One house, one person". Meanwhile the Nepali government uses children as informants to spy on their communities and even their own family members. Worse still, boys are recruited as child soldiers, while young girls are abused as sex slaves. Parents are afraid to send their children to school for fear of them being abducted, which has the long-term ramifications of a gravely undereducated population in years to come.