Kathmandu, August 4

Although more than 300 national, international and government agencies are working continually to combat human trafficking in the country, incidents of human trafficking have increased by seven per cent in the fiscal of 2015/16 as compared to the fiscal of 2014/15, according to the National Committee on Human Trafficking and Smuggling Control under the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare.

“Women top the chart among trafficking victims,” said Narayan Prasad Kafle, spokesperson at the ministry. Forty-one women were rescued from the Valley alone in 2015/16. “Woman and girls are most likely to be the victims of trafficking.

Most females are lured by traffickers with a promise of employment abroad,” he said.

As per the statistics, 1,697 persons were reportedly rescued in 2015/16 from different parts of the country. Among them, only 119 women, nine female children, and three male children are currently staying in rehabilitation centres.

“There are eight anti-trafficking rehabilitation centres that have been taking care of the rescued women and children,” Kafle said.

Among the rescued women, 13 are staying at Kathmandu ABC Nepal. Likewise, 21 women are staying at Chitwan Mahila Adarsha Sewa Griha, four at Rupandehi Maiti Nepal, nine at Sindhupalchowk , two at Kailali Srijansil Samaj, four at Parsa Maiti Nepal, 25 women and three female children at Bake Sathi Sasthan, and 10 at Jhapa Maiti Nepal.

“Poverty, and lack of awareness and education, and lack of employment opportunities are the main reasons for the rise in human trafficking incidents,” he said.

“Only the rescued women and children are listed in the data, but there are no details of the persons who were not rescued,” said Sushila Paudel, section officer at the committee.

“We are doing our best to control human trafficking. For this, we will organise awareness campaigns for 16 days this year on the occasion of World Day against Trafficking,” Kafle informed.

He said children are the main target of the campaign.

“We are trying to include human trafficking in the school curriculum so that children learn how to remain safe from such crimes.”