No Way Out

According to research, nearly 12000 Nepalese children are trafficked by neighbours, family members as well as strangers to India each year for sexual exploitation, including such forms of exploitation as forced labour and organ removal. Many of these victims never even get a chance to cross the border; the menace exists at home, too. Young girls and women from rural areas, with hopes of better work opportunities, are also trafficked to urban centres within the country. They are then plunged into becoming harlots in one of the dance bars, massage parlours or singing restaurants. According to estimates, most of the girls who work there are under age.

This information is not clandestine anymore. The civil society of Nepal is trying to fight for the sufferers and save the potential victims. For that matter, several survivors of human trafficking have also been assigned duties to monitor the people crossing the border. Every day they intercept and rescue potential victims at the check posts. Voices from the activists are also being raised against the deep social stigma that a survivor has to face at home.

The 1,758-kilometre border between India and Nepal is one of the busiest human trafficking gateways in the world.

On the other hand, India and Nepal both are signatories to international conventions. They are bound by domestic law to fight trafficking. But, despite these laws and the formal recognition of human trafficking as a major issue, the terrorizing and inhumane act of trafficking the innocents continues.

While you are reading this, there are probably thousands of girls who are being kept as captives and are suffering right now – with a ray of hope to find an escape one day; hundreds of others might be in danger or on the verge of being trafficked right now. However, some of the lucky ones like Maya are also being rescued on a regular basis. The story of this 16-year-old was broadcast by UNICEF. She was intercepted and rescued at the border when she and her friend were being trafficked from Nepal. Sadly, not every victim is as fortunate as her.

The saddest part is, even if these vulnerable girls are detained or rescued, they are hesitant about sharing the identity of their trafficking agents. In fact, they don’t even disclose details like who helped them, what was their planned destination, why did they want to leave and what arrangements had been made with these agents? No wonder, the conviction and prosecution rates are so low. Out of court settlements, lack of evidence, threats from traffickers as well as taboos have been sharply causing hindrance in wiping out this curse from society.

Meanwhile, there are some other issues too, such as no requirement of documents at the border, that encourage the traffickers to continue with their evil activities. These agents or traffickers come up with several ways to mislead the police when trafficking the women across the border. They often persuade these girls and women to tell the police and security officers that they are going for a job abroad.

Thus, wiping this curse out is not only tough but next to impossible. That being said, apart from strict laws and regulations, there is a need for advocacy for people who are prone to falling prey to these evil traffickers. The governments involved should commit resources and expertise to help heal the mental, social, physical and economic scars the survivors of trafficking bring back home with them.