Maya Tamang, 44, was born into a low-income family in a rural area of Nepal and is the mother of one daughter. She was trafficked to India when she was eight years old. 500 minor Nepalese girls were rescued during the 1996 Indian government raid on all brothels in the nation. When she returned to Kathmandu, WOREC granted her two years of shelter, and then they assisted her in reintegrating with her family in her village. She was forced to move to a different place because of the stigma and discrimination against her HIV condition. Later, she married a man from a different caste. She suffered violence from her husband, and sadly, their marriage was not able to withstand it. Maya started Shakti Samuha, the first organization in the world, founded by human trafficking survivors together with fifteen other survivors. She is employed with the organization. She faces a number of intersectional challenges in her reintegration. In 2013, she was given the opportunity to take part in a participatory action research study conducted by University of Calgary PhD candidate, Rita Dhungel. The study provided her with a safe and judgment-free platform to reflect on her own intersectional oppression and raise her voice, which had been silenced, through the use of photovoice and media conferences. Maya Tamang, who is currently working as a reintegration officer with Shakti Samuha, will share her journey from oppression to liberation. She will also discuss how engaging in participatory action research gave her more self-assurance and empowered her to support campaigns that aim to prevent, protect, and prosecute human trafficking.
Trigger Warning: This presentation contains information (written, spoken, or visual) that may be triggering or (re)traumatizing to attendees.
Rita Dhungel is an assistant professor in the University of the Fraser Valley's School of Social Work and Human Services. Using feminist participatory action research, she has worked with trafficking survivors in both local and international contexts to unravel their structural challenges and promote transformational outcomes.
Maya Tamang was trafficked to India at the age of eight and is now a reintegration officer for Shakti Samuha in Nepal. She gained comfort in public speaking and felt liberated after participating in a participatory action research project with Rita Dhungel in Nepal, leading to her current position.