Nepalis Among the World’s Most Vulnerable to Human Trafficking

Reports from international aid agencies paint a grim picture of the situation of human trafficking victims around the world. For a number of reasons, Nepal is among the countries noted as a nexus for these crimes. In one recent two-year period, anti-trafficking activists noted that more than 40,000 Nepalis — mostly women and girls — became victims of trafficking. Experts note that some 2 million others remain at risk.

Shakti Samuha, an organization established by former trafficking victims to assist other trafficking victims, notes that traffickers lure Nepalese children and young adults by promising them education or work in the entertainment industry. In reality, these young people often end up doing arduous jobs in conditions that amount to servitude, or as sex slaves.

Nepal struggles with an intransigent problem

According to United States Department of State rankings, Nepal is a Tier 2 country in terms of its ability to deal with human trafficking. In the United Nations Trafficking in Persons (TIP) four-tier system, a Tier 2 nation does not completely fulfill minimum requirements to eliminate trafficking, but is putting forth tangible efforts to do so.

During and since the COVID pandemic, Nepal has successfully identified a greater number of victims than it had previously been able to do. In addition, it has opened more trafficking investigations, and its Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau has produced official guidelines for managing investigations.

While these and other steps represent progress, Nepal still has a long way to go to combat the problem. For example, the country’s laws still do not have criminal penalties for people shown to be engaged in some forms of sex or labor trafficking, and only a small number of people have been convicted under existing trafficking statutes. Notably, there remains no protection for Nepali migrant laborers against unjust recruiting fees and some other forms of exploitation.

Poverty lies at the root

Nepal’s government reported its overall 2022–2023 poverty rate as about 20 percent, with rural areas facing a rate of about 25 percent. The slow-growth economic recovery after the devastating 2015 earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic is a major contributor to poor living conditions in the country, and thus to the problem of human trafficking. Political instability and gender inequality are among the social and cultural contributors.

The lack of educational opportunities and well-paying work in Nepal continues to drive its people — notably women and girls — to go abroad as migrant workers. The World Bank, among other sources, has documented how it’s this very commitment to bettering the lives of themselves and their families that makes so many Nepalis vulnerable to trafficking. With relatively little help from their own government or from their host nations, undocumented Nepalese migrants are at the mercy of whatever employers, brokers, or exploiters they fall into contact with.

Nepali economists note that their country’s overall economy lacks sufficient resources to keep poverty levels low. In fact, remittances — the earnings migrant workers transmit to their families back home — are the major factor in any recent declines in the poverty rate. Relying on these remittances is not a sustainable long-term solution, as the consumer spending they support rises and falls with the number of Nepalis working abroad.

Poor security — an aggravating factor

A 1950 peace-and-friendship treaty between Nepal and India has also, in a tragic irony, become a major contributor to the human trafficking problem. The now-porous border, with only loosely enforced security, assists sex traffickers in moving victims to India and nations in the Middle East and elsewhere. Young women from marginalized castes forced into early marriage are especially vulnerable to trafficking. In addition, traffickers transport Nepali children and youth over the border into forced labor arrangements, or use them as drug smugglers.

Solutions must be multi-faceted

Advocates for Nepalese victims of human trafficking note that there is not a single solution. It will take a coordinated national and international effort involving legislation, criminal justice statutes, international agreements on border security, and effective anti-poverty measures to reduce and ultimately eliminate trafficking. Additionally, disaster response protocols in the region need to be updated to address the destabilizing conditions that prevail in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

Recognize signs of trafficking

It’s also vital for people around the world to recognize the signs of human trafficking and to know how to help. These can include:

• Someone who says they are not being paid for their labor, or who owes money to an employer
• Someone with only meager or no personal possessions
• Someone with a lack of substantive connections to family, friends, or social institutions
• Someone constantly accompanied by another person to whom they excessively defer, who appears to direct their movements or coach them on what to say
• A young person who does not attend school
• Someone with evidence of physical or emotional abuse or trauma

None of these factors by itself is proof of human trafficking. However, they can indicate that something is very wrong in a person’s life. A variety of local, national, and international governmental and nonprofit aid agencies exist in New Zealand and beyond to provide more information on how to help.

Upholding the dignity and worth of victims

Victims continue to need assistance. Studies have shown widespread instances of sexually transmitted diseases, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression among former victims of human trafficking. These people require effective legal representation, job and skills training, access to mental health and rehabilitation resources, and help reintegrating into their social support networks.