Kathmandu: Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau of Nepal Police has said that there is a need for effective coordination and cooperation among government, non-government and private sector organizations working against human trafficking as human trafficking and smuggling have come up with new forms and dimensions.
Speaking at a program on ‘Situation, trends, challenges and efforts to control human trafficking’ organized by Democracy Media Network in Kathmandu on Sunday, Superintendent of Police (SP) and Spokesperson of the Bureau, Gautam Mishra, said traffickers have been using social media sites like Facebook messenger, Viber, Whatsapp, among others to lure innocent. “It is necessary to increase the awareness among social network users to tackle the problem of new forms of human trafficking and smuggling. The risk of going to work as a domestic worker and being trafficked under the pretext of getting an extension in their visit visa is also increasing,” said Mishra.
“Since the victims lack enough information or details to reveal the identity of the perpetrator, identifying the perpetrator is a big issue in itself. In some cases, the victims refuse to file a complaint because once the complaint is registered, it will be difficult to collect the money that has already been paid [to the perpetrator],” he added.
Financial constraints, unemployment, family problems, social injustice, peer pressure, and dreams of prosperity, are some of the reasons behind Nepalis falling into the trap of different human trafficking agents.
Of the total, around 75-80 percent of human trafficking happens for sexual exploitation. “Comparatively, women seem to be at higher risk of human trafficking and trafficking in general. To prevent this, it is necessary to spread awareness on a grassroots level in society,” further added Mishra.
According to Mishra, four different pillars (divisions) of the Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau are working for investigation and prosecution of cases related to human trafficking. The first pillar looks into the cases of human trafficking and transportation to India and illegal organ transplant. The second pillar oversees cases in 38 different countries in Eastern Asia, South-East Asia and Middle-East Asia. While the third pillar looks into Australia, America and Europe, the fourth pillar oversees 54 countries including Turkey and countries in Africa.
Siromani Dhungana, the chair of Democracy Media Network, the organizer, shed light on the vital role of media and civil society to disseminate true and accurate information about human trafficking, transportation and smuggling and the need to mainstream this issue into a public discourse. Media has the responsibility to keep the vulnerable people informed by disseminating information and facts, he said. Dhungana said that Democracy Media Network is committed to working in partnership and coordination with civil society, media, government authorities and national and international non-governmental organizations to combat organized crime such as human trafficking.
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