LAST NEPALESE WOMEN RESCUED FROM INDIAN CIRCUS

The return in May of three Nepalese women from The Great Indian Circus in Kerala means that this particular circus no longer holds any Nepalese performers.

The women were rescued by Ganesh Shrestha, leader of the Esther Benjamins Memorial Foundation circus retrieval team and brought safely back to Hetauda after ten days' determined work. One woman has now been happily reunited with her family and the other two are receiving support in the privacy of the EBMF hostel in Hetauda pending identification of their families.

This rescue was the last of three visits by the organisation to this circus. The first took place in April 2004 when 29 were freed in a surprise swoop in conjunction with the local authorities. A further eight were freed by the retrieval team in a second visit in January 2006.

The oldest releasee is aged 33 and spent 18 years at the circus, meeting no outsiders at all during this period. The next oldest is 30. She spent 16 years at the circus and recalls two serious accidents in that time that led to broken bones and of frequent scoldings and beatings.

The youngest returnee is aged 20 and went to the circus when she was only four years old. Needless to say all were overjoyed to be back in Nepal and will now enter the Foundation's rehabilitation programme.

Country Director of INGO Esther Benjamins Trust - Nepal, Lt Col Philip Holmes, said afterwards: "Congratulations are due to Ganesh and all the team members involved for another courageous mission completed. Much more needs to be done and no circus that is holding Nepalese children and women in bondage is safe from our attentions. Many more rescues will follow."

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