KATHMANDU: In what can be dubbed as a shocking revelation, over 15, 000 Nepalese women are trafficked to third countries, via India each year, according to a record maintained by the Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD).
Trafficking of Nepali women migrant workers via India skyrocketed following the government’s ban on the out-migration of Nepali women in the Middle East countries as domestic workers.
The data shows trafficking of Nepali women to the Middle East, European and African countries by unscrupulous agents is on the rise, thereby exposing migrant women into risks. This has created a nightmarish situation for both Nepali and Indian police.
Trafficking of Nepali women migrant workers via India skyrocketed following the government’s ban on the out-migration of Nepali women in the Middle East countries as domestic workers.
With the rise in the number of trafficking cases, police officials in India and Nepal have intensified their activities in curbing the trafficking racket. Special Bureau of Indian police had arrested Lopsang Lama, a Nepali agent from India last month. Lama had been sending Nepali women to various third countries via India.
Delhi Commission for Women had rescued 16 Nepali women in July last year. Lama had arranged to send the women to various countries in the Middle East via India. This came to the fore when they informed the police about Lama, who had so far sent more than 24 women to various countries charging Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 each, according to Indian police.
Likewise, it should be recalled that the Delhi Commission for Women along with the local police rescued 73 Nepali women from New Delhi in August last year.
Similarly, in the same year, Maiti India rescued 37 Nepali women from three buildings in Indrapuram area of Ghaziabad. The women were hidden by the agents in a group of 17, 13 and 7, according to Balkrishna Pandey at Maiti India.
“It is difficult to control trafficking of women since they get lured by unscrupulous agents and follow illegal ways,” said Dr Narayan Regmi, spokesperson at the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security. He further maintained that the ministry is working on a strategy to stop the trafficking of migrant women. Shockingly, it has also been revealed that the family members and neighbors are found to be assisting the traffickers.
Following the strict vigil by Indian police, the agents are adopting the strategy of trafficking Nepali women via Bangladesh of late.
Those women migrating for work via India to third countries are mostly uneducated, poor, and are uninformed about the procedures of foreign employment, according to Rajkumar Silwal at the Central Investigation Bureau. “Since the gullible women do not check the facts regarding foreign employment, they often get into trouble,” he said.
However, a majority of the rescued women are reluctant to share the details of the traffickers, he added.
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