Dhangadi, October 19

After security was tightened at border entry points in the eastern part of the country after last year’s earthquakes, human traffickers have resorted to using border points in the far-west.

Police had increased their vigilance at Kailali’s Trinagar Customs Office and Kanchanpur’s Gaddachauki border point. However, incidents of trafficking of women and girls have increased at Kailali’s Hasuliya, Khakraula, Bauliya, and Fulbari border points, Kanchanpur’s Belauri, Khajuriya, and other border points.

The data collected by the police and other organisations show that the number of women and girls being trafficked via different border points in the far-west has increased by three times since last year’s earthquake.

An organisation Peace and Rehabilitation Home Kailali said as many as 36 women were rescued in the last three months alone. Data from other NGOs showed that over 300 girls and women were taken to India via different far-west border points in a month.

Programme Coordinator at Peace and Rehabilitation Home Kailali Basu Bhattarai said women and girls were being trafficked in droves on a daily basis via far-west border points. “Most of those being trafficked are from earthquake-hit districts”, Bhattarai added.

Bhattarai said, “The police and local administration have been negligent at far-west border points, which has resulted to the border points at those places becoming major human trafficking points.”

Most of those rescued are between the ages of 16-25.

Chief at the Far Western Regional Police Office, Dipayal DIG Bijayaraj Bhatta said that the use of border points in the region had increased after entry points in the east were tightened.