KATHMANDU, Aug. 1 -- She towered over me like a lone poplar tree. She was four years older than I was at the time she came to live with us. Sita was the eldest of her siblings and her father had sent her to Kathmandu so she could contribute to the family income.
Ten-year-old Sita's job was to babysit for one of our relatives-two babies watching one another. When a bunch of grapes disappeared, the employers decided to dismiss the babysitter. Sita was just being a child picking and popping into her mouth something she liked the taste of, but she was supposed to be an 'employee' and expected to behave like an adult.
Her father insisted that she stay in Kathmandu, and so the child remained, moving from one home to another, as employers tire...