Every year thousands of people are reportedly trafficked from the country. However, only a few survivors and the families of the victims seek legal treatment, according to a report.
‘The Trafficking in Persons’ National-report 2075/76 BS released by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday revealed that at least 174 complaints of human trafficking were reported with Nepal Police last fiscal year. At least 305 complaints of human trafficking were reported in the fiscal year 2074/75 B.S, the report added. “Though the cases of human trafficking have increased in the couple of years in Nepal, still the cases remain under shadow,” said Mohana Ansari, a member of NHRC.
The report has projected that around 35,000 people have been trafficked in the country while 1,500,000 people are vulnerable to human trafficking. In an average 13,678 people go missing annually from the country, of which only 47 per cent are found, the report added.
More than 10,000 people were rescued from different border check-points by the non-government organisations while the Nepal Police rescued 2,104 people during the period, it read.
Ansari said though the police had received only 174 complaints in the fiscal year 2075/76 B.S, the non-government organisations had rescued 640 trafficked victims. Of them 374 were rescued from the country and 266 in other countries.
The government also rescued more than 300 traffic victims from India who were travelling to the third countries on the pretext of foreign employment, the report shows.
During the fiscal year, 2074/75 B.S., the Department of Foreign Employment Division received total 2,383 complaints related to human trafficking, said Ansari, adding that this had proved that the actual scenario of human trafficking in Nepal was still unknown.
It was found that women and children have been coercively trafficked to China for sexual work and to Afghanistan, the United Kingdom and South Korea to engage them as security guards.
The report carried out by different organisations showed that a large number of women and children of Nepal were involved in the flesh market in India. As per the analysis of Sima Surakshya Bal (SSB), human trafficking in Nepal-India border has increased by 500 per cent since 2013.
The report also said the emerging trend of human trafficking was a growing concern, as destination countries were found to be changing from India and other Gulf countries to China and other Asian countries.
During the last fiscal year, 29 women were rescued from the Kerung check-point, the report added. Nepali women are being trafficked to China for forceful marriage, sexual exploitation and other businesses, like dance bars.
Internal trafficking is also growing as a major challenge in Nepal, the report said.
