Moore was on a five-day visit to Nepal filming a documentary for the CNN Freedom Project aimed to end modern day slavery.[break]
Moore looked way young for her age in her grayish shorts, brown tank top and black tip toe shoes when she was spotted with Anuradha Koirala, CNN Hero 2010 and founder of Maiti Nepal.
Remembering their first meeting, Koirala introduced Moore as a unique individual dedicated to the cause of ending girl trafficking. “Moore introduced me on stage at the CNN Heroes award ceremony held in New York and now I have the privilege of introducing her,” began Koirala. Applauding Moore’s commitment to stop girl trafficking she said, “I’m happy she has fulfilled her promise to come visit us.”
Moore was quick to comment, “I call her Nepalese Lioness. Don’t mess with her.” She described the time she spent in Nepal as an enriching experience. “I was able to travel to Bhairahawa and watch four girls being rescued from the border. Meeting a family that was reunited with their lost daughter was particularly touching.”
A strong activist against the trade of young girls, Moore and her husband founded DNA (Demi and Ashton) Foundation in January, 2010.
The non-governmental organization aims at eliminating the trading of young children for sex. Moore and Kutcher never hesitate to use their star power to create awareness about the issue. Their campaign has been supported by Twitter and Microsoft.
“My husband and I were watching a documentary about child trafficking two years ago and what we saw left us devastated. We decided that we couldn’t live without doing anything about it and, therefore, I now stand firm by the cause.”
Asserting that her trip was far from a leisurely one, Moore remarked, “I’m not here as a celebrity but just as a human being. I might be American and you might be Nepali but the pain we share is the same. Girl trafficking cannot be stopped by Anuradha’s efforts alone; we need the support of everyone.”
She stressed that the four girls who were rescued were only a few who get saved from being trafficked to India everyday.
She also praised the media for helping stop trafficking by bringing out the stories about the crime against humanity.
During her visit Moore traveled to Lumbini and met Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal on Wednesday. “I was impressed by his commitment to child education and a clamp-down on the flesh trade.”
Moore was also taken on a drive to Durbar Marg on Wednesday evening. “I found her to be a very down-to-earth person. We embarked on a six-hour drive to Ramche, Rasuwa and walked for a few hours. Moore didn’t show an iota of tiredness,” shared Bishwa Khadka, the director of Maiti Nepal.
According to him Moore did promise to come back with her husband and explore the scenic locations of Nepal. “Her love for hot and
spicy food was a huge surprise to me.”
She left Nepal on Thursday evening. Moore, a mother of three girls was a hugely popular actor in the 1990s. She has posed nude several times for prestigious magazines like Vanity Fair.
She portrayed a negative role in her last hit film Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003). In recent years, she has been seen less onscreen as she has been focusing more on promoting her campaign to stop child trade.
Other stars associated with the CNN Freedom Project include actors Ashton Kutcher and Anil Kapoor and singers Ricky Martin and Peter Gabriel.
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