KATHMANDU: Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba came under scrutiny on Friday during a parliamentary committee meeting, following a scathing report by the U.S. Department of State that placed Nepal on its human trafficking watch list.
The Trafficking in Persons Report 2024, published in July by the U.S. State Department, stated that Nepal has failed to fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and alleged that some Nepali police officials and political leaders are involved in trafficking for sexual exploitation, often with financial incentives.
The report, which sparked concern across Nepal, arrived as the country continues to deal with the fallout from the high-profile Bhutanese refugee scam.
In this case, several top-level officials—including a former minister and home secretary—were implicated in trafficking Nepali citizens under false identities to third countries, including the United States.
Minister Rana herself has been linked to the scandal through an audio clip released by one of the accused, Sandesh Sharma, who claimed to have paid money to Nepali Congress MPs Dr. Rana and Manju Khand. Minister Rana has consistently denied any involvement.
In the wake of these allegations and with the change in government following a seven-point agreement between the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML on July 1, 2024, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal was replaced by CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli.
Minister Rana was appointed Foreign Minister shortly after, raising further questions about political accountability. Since the new coalition took power, no additional high-ranking individuals have been arrested in connection with the trafficking scandal, and investigations filed at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) appear to have stalled.
During Friday’s meeting of the International Relations and Tourism Committee in Singha Durbar, Rastriya Swatantra Party MP Shishir Khanal pressed Minister Rana on Nepal’s downgraded status in the U.S. report and asked how seriously the government was treating the issue.
“While Nepal has made some progress, the U.S. report says that even government officials and political leaders are involved,” Khanal said. “How does the government view this? Shouldn’t there be an independent investigation? How serious is Nepal about tackling this problem?”
In response, Minister Rana acknowledged awareness of the report and claimed that an anti-trafficking program supported by the U.S. had failed to take off under the previous administration.
“A project related to trafficking was introduced based on the 2023 situation, but the previous government failed to act. That program is now gone, along with USAID support,” she said.
She also pointed out the complexity of the issue, noting that many Nepalis knowingly take risks to migrate.
“We saw people carrying sacks and walking through remote areas after paying large sums. Some pay up to one crore rupees to leave. If they had invested that money here, imagine the difference it could make,” she remarked.
Minister Rana attributed the migration surge to high ambitions fueled by social media, stating, “Even people with decent jobs like teachers are quitting to go abroad. This isn’t something one ministry can solve. We need to create better job opportunities right here.”
She added that the government has passed some laws aimed at improving the investment environment and that the Ministry of Finance is exploring alternative financing mechanisms to support employment initiatives.
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