1) A 16-year-old girl was rescued on 3rd February 2023 through the joint efforts of KIN India, the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi, and the police. During the investigation, it was discovered that the girl had been manipulated by people she knew, who showed her fake videos of people gaining money through holy rituals. They had asked her to impress a person known as “baba.” Before taking her to India, the traffickers measured her body and weight, which raised concerns that the measurements were taken for ritual slaughter. The girl was taken to Kathmandu for a few days before being transported to Butwal and then to the Sunauli border, and finally to India. While in India, she was moved to several places and was unable to escape from the traffickers. They took her to different “babas” to bid for more money. When she was taken to the fourth “baba,” he gave a date for a holy ritual on 5th February 2023. Timely action and coordination among stakeholders saved a life that would have been lost if the rescue had not been done on time and in an appropriate (cautiously) way.
2) A 24-year-old woman was rescued from Kerala, India, who had been taken to India by the agents with promises of lucrative job opportunities in Oman. She was first taken to Delhi, followed by a 55-hour travel by train journey to Kochi, where she stayed at a hotel. Her journey was through Sri Lanka en route to Oman. The immigration officer, having suspicions about her travel documents, did not allow her to fly to Sri Lanka, which repeated in the second attempt. As the agents were asking for additional money, the woman told about her situation to the family, who then reported to Anti-human trafficking bureau. In coordination with, Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi and concerned stakeholders in India, KIN India (partner organization of GSIF Nepal in India) rescued and repatriated her to Nepal.
3) Thirty-five Nepalese bonded labourers, including 5 minors, were rescued from a village in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, in May 2024 by the joint efforts of the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi. The traffickers lured them by promising an attractive salary of 1100 Indian Currency per day. The salary was highly attractive as it is double the local rates in Nepal and almost triple the minimum wages specified by the Government of Nepal. The traffickers, hailing from Bihar in India, paid an advance of Nepalese Rupees 7,000 to each worker through a leader among the workers to build trust. The workers readily agreed to their offer and were taken to Kashmir. The owners kept them in captivity in Kashmir. They were treated inhumanely and abused physically and mentally.
These incidents represent the trends of human trafficking across the border from Nepal. Each year, the projects run by GSIF Nepal in collaboration with OVN and KIN rescue, repatriate, and reintegrate hundreds of girls and young women. The examples shared above reflect how the people, not limited to specific gender and age, are trafficked for different purposes.
