Much has been said and written about the problem of human trafficking in Nepal. Every year, thousands of children and women disappear from their homes, fortunate ones from among them are traced by the police, which has now become an epitome of passivity, and restored to their families. But the grim reality remains that most of the missing persons are never traced back. The whereabouts unknown. And no one seems to bother about their fate.

Recently, the disclosure by the police department highlights another rather shocking aspect of this eternal problem of human trafficking in Nepal. The report says that about 85 per cent of the victims are subjected to various types of abuses within the country. In other words, the evil of human trafficking and child and woman abuse have taken firm roots in our society, and our own people are indulging in this heinous crime. But the irony is that neither our system nor we are able to identify such criminal elements. Even if some people are nabbed, most of them are acquitted for want of concete proof.

And now even religious and pilgrimage places are turning into safe havens for the human traffickers. If a report prepared by Maiti Nepal by UNICEF is to be believed, these places will soon become big dens for human traffickers if these activities are not curbed in time.

Innocent people travel to these places in order to find solace. But they are completely unaware that their savers are themselves in need salvation. What else does the recovery of empty liquor bottles, playing cards, drugs and used contraceptives from popular temple’s Dharmasalas in the capital suggest? Who is going to check these activities? It is generally seen that law enforcement agencies shun carrying out raids at religious places lest there could be riots.

But this general apathy on the part of the society, administration and law-enforcement agencies seems to embolden anti-social elements at the religious places.

In light of this, the disclosure by the police authority should act as guiding principle for the administration to nip this evil in the bud. Otherwise, this problem may prove a big headache for our country in the future, when it may be put at par with such countries where flesh tourism is rampant.