The current government needs to do two things. One is to create a volunteer visa. The other is to require the people volunteering to submit a police report through their home country's embassies stating that they are not on any sexual predator list.
Volunteer tourism has become a very popular form of tourism over the last 20 years. The culture of the West is one that encourages people to volunteer time to help those less fortunate. For many travelers, volunteer tourism offers many opportunities to help people in developing nations while learning more about the people and culture when they become volunteers.
Volunteering benefits host nations in a number of ways. One way is the investment that these volunteers make in their financial contributions. Not only do they pay their own way in host countries, they often become long term donors to various NGOs. Their commitment also brings about additional foreign donations as they tell their story back in their home countries.
Nepal greatly benefits from these donations as it provides a variety of services that would probably not be available otherwise. Medical care, schools, orphanages and more are the direct beneficiaries of volunteer tourism. The money and services provided certainly outweigh any problems that may be experienced.
It can easily be said that 98 percent of all volunteers are good people who have a caring heart. Unfortunately, that remaining two percent can be a significant problem.
Predators don't come with the words "predator" tattooed on their foreheads. When working with children and teens, it is imperative that screening is done in order to keep the children safe from those people who seek to do them harm.
In the United States, background checks are required of anyone who volunteers in schools when working with young children. The state police are contacted to verify if that person has any convictions and is listed on Sexual Predator List.
Nepal needs to offer a volunteer visa. This would require any NGO or group wishing to use foreign volunteers in Nepal to register their intent with the government. Only those NGOs or businesses that apply and are approved by the government would be allowed to advertise for volunteers.
By registering with the government, it also helps to screen organizations to make sure that their work is legitimate, thereby protecting volunteers from unscrupulous NGOs as well as "fake" orphanages that has been in the news recently.
In order for a person to get a volunteer visa, they must apply through the NGO or business that they are going to do volunteer work for in Nepal. The government would submit to the appropriate embassy a request for any information about their past convictions for sexual misconduct. That is an easy step for any embassy to do through appropriate channels. Once approved, that person can receive clearance to receive a volunteer visa.
Volunteer visas could be issued for longer periods than the current five month restriction imposed on tourist visas. This way, volunteers could stay longer and contribute more to Nepal.
Working in Nepal, I receive many requests from schools in the mountains for volunteers to come and teach English to their students. Mountain villages are always requesting that medical doctors and nurses come to work in village clinics. As many of these communities lack the resources to pay livable wages for those in these fields, volunteerism is an important resource that is badly needed in these communities.
The arrival of foreign volunteers also impacts the community financially. These volunteers spend money, and that money will improve the local community. Like regular tourism, volunteer tourism can be a large source of foreign revenue for Nepal.
By making volunteering "legal", it will also increase income for the government through visa fees. Volunteers will help to create additional jobs in Nepal as what they spend will trickle down faster in rural communities to the local residents.
Creating a volunteer visa will also give the government a better opportunity to control problems so that people like Ernest Fenwick "Mack" MacIntosh will not be able to interact freely with orphanages and schools. It will also legalize those foreign volunteers who legitimately want to help those who are less fortunate. It is a win-win solution for all parties involved.
If Nepal decides to enforce the current laws that seem to go against volunteer tourism, the good volunteers will simply go to countries that will receive them and their money. The predators will still volunteer and find ways to circumvent the system. Nepal and its society will be the loser unless Nepal government re-writes the laws to create a new category of volunteer visa.
Protecting our children from predators is a priority of any society. These children are defenseless and need the protection of good government that is concerned about their well-being. The case of Ernest Fenwick "Mack" MacIntosh simply brings a problem to the forefront. Let's use this problem to implement a doable solution that will benefit all except for sexual predators, who are not wanted anywhere in any society.
The author is the managing director of Be-Kul Language Training Center in Kathmandu. He is a retired newspaper publisher and a motivational speaker.
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