Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is one of the cross-cutting issues in Nepal. It is a worldwide serious concern. Human trafficking is an illegal trade of human beings for sexual exploitation, forced labor, extraction of organs or tissues and so on. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), human trafficking is the recruitment or transportation of persons by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of abduction, fraud or deception, or for the purpose of exploitation. It knows no gender, age, race and boundaries.
Victims are trafficked within a country or transnational. They are smuggled because they are forced to work as prostitutes, domestic servants, beggars, factory workers, mine workers, circus performers and child soldiers. It is like another form of slavery. The majority of trafficking victims are women and children because of their marginalization in many societies and their
limited economic resources. Besides them, other key target groups include people from low income households, ethnic minorities, illiterate or people with low levels of education, refugees, illegal migrants, children running away from home, and others. Members of split families are also prone to it. Women of forced marriage and early marriage, deserted wife, widows and discriminated daughters are easily victimized.
Traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of society. In order to deceive, first, they take help from local people to identify such families. They may provide economic incentive and financial loans to their friends, relatives, family, spouse or even parents. At times, most victims are lured to promises of better jobs or well paid jobs in cities, false marriages and proposals, easy money, dreams of sophisticated life and others. Victims of earthquakes, floods, wars and epidemics can be easily smuggled. Most victims are involved in slavery like practices, and kept in prison like environment. It is because they can be physically and sexually abused. They have to work long hours without any rest or recreation. They never get medical facilities when they fall sick. They are either paid less or their earnings are withheld with prolonged indebtedness to traffickers.
Our constitution has preserved the right to freedom. Therefore, we must fight against trafficking of persons. In addition to legislation, the Nepal government, the Ministry of Women, Children and Welfare, various INGOs and NGOs and Many other organizations in Nepal are dedicated to combat human trafficking. If we suspect anyone involved in such illegal activities, we have to report the police or any member of concerned organizations. We can also use helpline numbers anytime to inform victims of traffickers. Our little effort will be a great help to control violation of human rights.
