Five hundred Drukpa nuns from Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, are cycling 4,000 km through the Himalayas to raise awareness about the rise in human trafficking in the region, particularly the “post-disaster trafficking” of vulnerable women and children. This would include the increase in the exploitation of women and children following the 2015 Nepal earthquakes, which the nuns said inspired them “to do more than travel to disaster-hit mountain villages with rice on their backs.”
This is the fourth journey the nuns have made in order to spread a message “of gender equality, peaceful co-existence and respect for the environment.” They are part of a progressive order of Buddhist nuns who practice Kung Fu and work to “change the attitudes about women and [encourage villagers to] maybe value them as equals.” The nuns say that many people are surprised to see them riding their bikes, as Buddhist nuns, unlike Monks, are traditionally not allowed to exercise.
Compiled from: Bhalla, Nita, ‘Kung Fu’ Nuns Bike the Himalayas to Protest Human Trafficking, The Huffington Post (September 16, 2016).