The rescue operation for Nepali citizens trafficked to Southeast Asian and Gulf countries began on February 01, 2019, revealing more evidence that indicates they were trafficked into Myanmar, through Moreh between December-January.

“As many as 301 have crossed the border from December to January via Moreh border. Those crossing the border have not returned,” said Keisam Pradip Kumar, a member of Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights, at a press conference held at the Imphal Press Club.

“The details about their address that have been recorded at the Moreh Integrated Check Post border has shown that all of them are Nepali citizens,” the spokesperson added.

However, those involved in the rescue operation said that they don’t have any details about the whereabouts of those who already entered Myanmar or other countries.

Impulse NGO Network (NGO against human trafficking) Program Manager Emarine Kharbhih added that local authorities and activists couldn’t tell if they were still in Myanmar or elsewhere.

“We have to work with the Myanmar authority and other partners to track them. Now the next round of operation will take place in Myanmar to track those who have already crossed the border,” Kharbhih said during the conference.

The rescue mission that started on February 01, 2019, was done in collaboration with Manipur police, Social Welfare Development and related-NGOs. It began after informing Nepal’s main human trafficking watchdog Maiti Nepal.

The operation managed to rescue 183 Nepali citizens including 17 men from various parts of Manipur and are currently being housed at Manipur Social Welfare Department.

“The first round of verification has shown that all of them are from Nepal. They have admitted–and the documents they have also prove they are Nepali citizens,” said Kumar.

The rescue team informed that further verification will be done in Nepal before their repatriation.

“In other rounds of verification, our partners in Nepal will find out their families and check their citizenships back in Nepal. Then the Nepali Embassy in India will be contacted to further verify that they are Nepali citizens before repatriating them,” Kharbhih added.

She also adds that the rescue team has informed Nepal’s Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare in Nepal has been informed about the recent rescue operation.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes initiatives in such cases and asks the embassy in the respective country to act. We mobilize the team as per directives from the Foreign Ministry,” said Rajendra Kumar Paudel, Ministry Spokesperson.

Out of the 301 which crossed the border, one Nepali girl who entered Myanmar was rescued by the  Yangon Anti Trafficking Task Force and Immigration center Pazundaung Township on February 06, 2019.

The rescue team could rescue her only after she contacted her family in Nepal and asked for help after crossing Moreh.

“Using the Impulse Model Case Info Centre Software alert, we informed our partner in Myanmar which then informed the local authority before she was rescued by the task force,” Hasina Kharbhih, founder and chairman of Impulse NGO Network.

Related Articles:

• Global Rights Conference: Nepal Reaffirms Fight Against Human Trafficking
• Nepal’s Ongoing Battle with Human Trafficking
• Human Trafficking in Nepal – Relentless Fight for Rights Continues!

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Nepal Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens along with representatives of various organizations conducted a morning procession to mark the significance of this day.

Nepal Police, Rights Activists and citizens participated in the rally that passed through Bhadrakali, Sahid Gate, Naya Sadak, Ratna Park and ended at the Rastriya Sabha Griha.

Authorities Speak:
Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens Thama Maya Thapa addressed the gathering and said that trafficking persons was a serious crime.

Thapa pitched for people’s support to gradually eliminate this menace and extended the Ministry’s support to organizations fighting against human trafficking.

President of Media Mobilization for Sustainable Development Neha Sharma said that the problem will not be solved until the huge racket of human trafficking was disrupted. She also emphasized on increasing public awareness to counter this problem.

Speakers like President of Biswas Nepal Tara Bhandari and Representatives of Change Nepal Barsha Luintel stressed on the introduction of stringent laws and punishment for individuals involved in the crime.

The procession was led by a Nepali police band playing cultural music from Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu.

Statistics for Human Trafficking in Nepal:

• Nepali girls are trafficked to Middle East countries and Asian countries
• Most of them are sold to brothels, forced into labor or marriage and suffer organ removal
• UNICEF data shows that 12,000 children are trafficked from Nepal to India every year
• This crime is rampant between the regions because of the easy passage between the two countries, lack of surveillance infrastructure and stringent authentication procedures
• The percentage of girls trafficked into India increased by 500% over the past 5 years
• Close to 210 Nepali women and children were rescued in the last three years from Jhulaghat in Nepal
• Maiti Nepal is the regulatory body for human trafficking in Nepal and has saved 39,964 girls/women from being trafficked to other countries

Also Read: Human Trafficking in Nepal – Relentless Fight for Rights Continues!

Conclusion:
Initiatives such as these are important as they help in curbing human trafficking and involve the participation of more and more people in the cause.

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Even then, it’s tough to say we are on path of development, considering the illicit activities such as exploitation of #humanrights & freedom, #SocialInequality and #ChildLabor, among others.

One such demotivating aspect that makes us rethink of development is #HumanTrafficking, the menace that has been deciding the fate of many innocents, globally.

Standing next to drug trafficking and arms dealing, human trafficking remains to be a battle and a growing criminal activity for many nations despite strict policy-level decisions, and Nepal is no exception! In fact, more prone to girl and #womentrafficking in particular.

Relentless efforts by government, social activists and media over the years literally went in vain in tackling #HumanTraffickingInNepal.

“First you have to learn to take them as your own child. Then you will feel the sorrow and then the strength comes out from you to protect them” –  Says Anuradha Koirala

Let’s take a closer look at human trafficking scenario in Nepal!

A Glance
Nepal is one of the key source countries globally known for forced labor and sex trafficking involving men, women and children. Human trafficking in Nepal’s case can be observed in three different ways:

1)  Within the Country: Human trafficking within Nepal typically involves #traffickingpeople from rural to urban locations. Especially, the young girls and women trafficked from rural areas are subjected to #sexualexploitation across enjoyment spots such as pubs, hotels, and other places falling under the ambit of tourism centers. While some of these women voluntarily take up the act, many of them were literally forced into the act and end up as slaves after a period, either #bondedlabor or as workers across low-profile jobs in factories etc.

2)  Across the Indo-Nepal Border: Girl and women trafficking across the Indo-Nepal border is one most-heard aspect. Over the years, many girls have reportedly been trafficked to various India’s urban areas and used for sexual exploitation across brothel houses and child labor across unorganized and informal sectors. Surprisingly, records show the presence of more than 1 lakh trafficked #Nepaliwomen across India’s urban locations.

3)  Beyond Borders: Besides the closest borders like India, #NepaliVictims have also reportedly been trafficked to various other destinations such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and some Middle East countries. India has reportedly been a transit for trafficking of Nepali women to regions such as Western Asia and Middle East, among others. Nepali victims to non-Indian destinations are most likely subjected to sexual exploitation, in particular to non-brothels.

Here are some shocking facts you should know about human trafficking in Nepal’s case:

• Each year, around 1-2 lakh Nepali women or girls are trafficked to Indian brothels at an average selling price of INR 50,000-70,000
• Trafficked Nepali girls or women are majorly exploited for their beauty (fair and lighter skin tone) and virgins among them are often believed to have ability to cure #AIDS
• #Poverty, #illiteracy and less earning power are among key reasons subjecting Nepali women to trafficking
• #Slavery remains to be the oldest forms of #ForcedLabor in case of Nepal, with bonded labor dominating the scenario across agriculture brick kilns, among other industries
• Child labor is another aspect of human trafficking that Nepal is known for. The country is home to 1.6 million children (between 5-17 years) subjected to different forms of child labor, some of them often working in exchange of money
• Three-fourth of children engaged in child labor in Nepal are below 14 years with majority of them being girls
• According to #NepalHumanDevelopmentReport 2004, nearly 20 percent of Nepalis trafficked to Asian countries fall are below 16 years of age
• Trafficking victims of Nepal basically hail from traditionally disadvantaged and #marginalizedgroups
• Promises of better jobs across foreign destinations remains to be one of the key reasons driving human trafficking from Nepal
• According to Nepal’s Ministry for Women & Social Welfare, 26 of Nepal’s 75 districts are prone to trafficking menace
• Peak trafficking is usually observed between June and late August or early September, reports an #IndianArmedForces survey
• According to #UNICEF, an estimated 11,000-13,000 girls and women are working in the “night entertainment industry” in Kathmandu Valley alone
• According to #UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2012, human trafficking from Nepal during 2007-2009 involved 36 percent were children (33 percent girls and 3 percent boys) and 64% adults (women 53 percent and men 11 percent)
• Sashastra Seema Bal, one of the Indian Armed Police Forces, in its report on ‘Human Trafficking on Indo-Nepal border’ reported a surprising 500 percent rise in number of humans trafficked from Nepal to India over the last five years period since 2013, with majority of them from rural and Terai regions of Nepal

List not exhaustive! There are many such facts about human trafficking in Nepal that can touch your emotions.

Governmental Efforts
Nepal Government has taken several initiatives over the years to tackle the menace.

According to UNICEF, Nepal already agrees to various international legal frameworks to protect its women and children from the human trafficking menace, which include:

• #UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
• #ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor
• ILO Forced Labor Convention to Combat Trafficking and Forced labor
• CRC Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
• UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children
• #SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution

“Accept What’S Done To Their Children, If You Don’t Mind It Being Done To Yours – Children Trafficking”

The country also has in place a domestic legal framework including:

• Human Trafficking & Transportation Control Act (HTTCA)
• Human Trafficking & Transportation (Control) Regulation

“Human Trafficking Is Modern Day Slavery”

Besides, Nepal also has many agencies working for it such as:

• Secretariat to combat trafficking under the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Women and Children Offices operating across 75 districts
• District Committees on anti-trafficking across all 75 districts & local committees
• Nepal Police, Court, Attorney General’s Office and Embassy offices across other countries
• Nepal Government has ramped up its anti-trafficking efforts post the 2015 earthquake; stopped inter-country adoption and also established various measures such as conducting awareness programs across communities, enhancement of local communities and funding various rehabilitation centers
• UNICEF has also extended its support to governmental efforts by strengthening various police stations and checkpoints around the country covering the border areas
• The Department of Immigration has also been training the country’s immigration officials on ways to tackle trafficking of labor from the country
• Government has launched various national and local level campaigns using mass media
• Local Governments are also given various directives to tackle trafficking; for example, children cannot be moved across districts without legal documents or guardian
• Government has also been conducting frequent meetings with the related stakeholders including NGOs, agencies, among others

There are many other measures that the government has been adopting to fight the human trafficking menace.

Hope, such continuous efforts involving stringent government regulations, effective public participation and relentless measures by NGOs & related stakeholders will help Nepal fight the human trafficking menace completely.

What Experts Say?

“Child slavery is a crime against humanity. Humanity itself is at stake here.” – Kailash Satyarthi, Indian Activist

“Life is a gift of our Creator…And it should NEVER be for SALE.”

It is slavery in the modern age. Every year thousands of people, mainly women and children, are exploited by criminals who use them for forced labor or the sex trade. No country is immune. Almost all play a part, either as a source of trafficked people, transit point or destination. – United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

“Slavery was abolished 150 years ago… and yet there are more people in slavery today than any other time in our history.”

“Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. We must unite our efforts to free victims and stop this crime that’s become ever more aggressive, that threatens not just individuals, but the foundational values of society.” – Pope Francis

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These women were being trafficked to India when Maiti Nepal interfered and brought them back. According to Maiti Nepal’s eastern region office Kakadvitta, they were given counseling before being united with their parents.

Shocking Statistics!

• Out of 174 women, 10 were rescued from Indian cities like Siliguri, Delhi and Khoribari
• During the January-June 2018 period, 86 missing cases were reported at Maiti Nepal, Kakadvitta, out of which 30 have already been found
• During the same period, Maiti Nepal registered three cases of human trafficking and two under domestic violence at the court
• In the last six months, the organization has stopped 195 women from being trafficked to India through Pashupatinagar transit point and rescued 18 women from traffickers
• 63 missing complaints have been registered in Pashupatinagar, from which 22 women have been found
• The organization has prevented 120 women from being trafficked through Jogbani transit point in Morang district out of which four have been rescued
• According to Maiti Nepal, 35 missing cases were registered in the Jogbani region out of which 14 have been found

Following these alarming events, Maiti Nepal has been maintaining constant surveillance at Kakadvitta, Pashupatinagar, Bhadrapur and Jogbani as these places serve as transit points for human trafficking.

Simultaneously, Maiti Nepal has been conducting various awareness programs in collaboration with Nepal Police to stop human trafficking.

16 Rescued in New Delhi
In another major development concerning the human trafficking row, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) saved 16 young Nepali girls from being trafficked to Iraq and Kuwait. The act was busted midway following a raid in Delhi’s Munirka area.

Swati Maliwal DCW Chief took to Twitter to share about the incident.

“The traffickers had taken away their passports, locking them up in a tiny room we saved them from today. This trafficking operation had been going on for eight months. Seven other girls have already been sent to Kuwait and Iraq 15 days ago. We have no idea what may have happened to them!” reads her twitter post

 21 Rescued in Kenya
In another scenario, the Embassy of Nepal in South Africa is keeping a tab on of 21 Nepali women who were rescued from two clubs in Nairobi on July 19, 2018.

“We are aware that 21 Nepali young women were rescued in Kenya. We are trying to find out their details through our consulate general in Kenya,” says Amrit Bahadur Rai, Nepali Ambassador to South Africa.

Rai also revealed that officials were already on their task of collecting information about them but didn’t mention anything about their condition.

The women had reached Kenya through India and Bangladesh.

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