Nepal
NEPAL
Nepal is a landlocked country located between India to the east, south, and west and to China to the north. Nepal has never been colonized and maintains a fierce protection of it’s independence from its two neighboring political giants. While Nepali people highly prize their independence, trade between the two countries is prolific the countries maintain an open, which means you do not need a visa to cross. The open border system between Nepal and India means that it is relatively easy for traffickers to move victims between countries. Nepali girls are highly sought after in Indian brothels because of their lighter skin, which is considered a beauty trait in India. If an underage Nepali trafficking victim is rescued in India, they are repatriated back to Nepal to a safe home if there is room, or to one of the children’s homes if there is not. Children’s homes are not well equipped to handle the needs of a trafficking survivor, so countrywide the recidivism rate for survivors entering back to trafficking was reported to be 90% in 2021, before Mukti Home opened. Mukti Home has maintained a 5% recidivism rate since opening.
"The National Human Rights Commission in Nepal estimated that 1.5 million Nepalis are vulnerable to human trafficking, with girls ages 11-25 years old at the highest risk."
"Traffickers target young, uneducated individuals from traditionally marginalized castes and ethnic minority communities with limited economic opportunities, and then lure victims with promises of work or education."
"Traffickers subject Nepali girls, boys, and transgender people to sex trafficking on the streets or the Adult Entertainment Sector (AES), including dance bars, massage parlors, and brothels. According to a study of the Kathmandu Valley, approximately 17 percent of workers in the AES are minors and 62 percent of adult women in the AES started as minors. The study estimated nearly 30 percent of minor workers in AES establishments are victims of forced labor, usually as restaurant staff, and employers later subject many to sex trafficking.”
"Some orphanages and children’s homes force children into manual labor or begging, force them to entertain visitors for donations, and sexually abuse them. Under false promises of education and work opportunities, some Nepali parents give their children to brokers who take them to frequently unregistered children’s homes and force the children to pretend to be orphans to garner donations from tourists and volunteers. Approximately one-third of registered orphanages do not meet the government’s minimum standards, and some children’s home operators force children to beg or keep children destitute to attract donations. Observers estimate nearly 11,000 children remain in registered children’s homes and “orphanages” despite approximately 80 percent having at least one living parent. Seventy-five percent of registered Nepali orphanages and children’s homes are located in the country’s five main tourist districts, and police sometimes arrest tourists or international volunteers, mostly from Western countries, for sexual abuse of Nepali children, including child sex trafficking.”
This demonstrates why the specialized care at Mulkti is so important. If survivors don’t go to Mukti, they often go to children’s homes in Nepal. Even if the homes they go to are not the worst of these cases, children’s homes aren’t equipped to handle the needs of survivors, and care in specialized homes such as at Mukti is needed.
“It is estimated that between 7,000 and 10,000 girls, between the ages of 9-16, are trafficked each year from Nepal to India”
Shrestha, Anila (2018-12-31). "Socio-Economic Impact on Trafficking of Girls/Women for Sexual Exploitation: A Study in Sindhupalchowk District". NUTA Journal. 5 (1–2): 8–16. doi:10.3126/nutaj.v5i1-2.23451. ISSN 2616-017X.