Former circus slaves illustrate trafficking through drama

Charities that work with children and young people should make every effort to allow those in their care to express themselves. This is particularly important if there is a need to come to terms with past trauma. Last summer a group of our volunteers in Hetauda, south Nepal, were taken aback when some of our hostel girls (circus returnees) staged an impromptu play about their experiences. This drama was then refined for the girls by a subsequent volunteer, British playwright Nic Discombe.

Watching in the wings at the final performance, I found the play very disturbing, especially hearing the audience laugh at some very bleak scenes. However a clinical professional later reassured me that being able to laugh at such things represented great therapy and advised me not to worry about it.

Here is the final product on film, recorded by my friend Subi Shrestha and edited yesterday (at long last) by me. Like the best drama it is much more powerful than a factual documentary on the subject.