Human Trafficking in Nepal and India

For my research on Nepal and India and the human trafficking problem, I mostly looked at statistics and facts. First, I looked up the legal definition of human trafficking as defined by the UN. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) defines human trafficking as "the recruitment, transport, transfer, harboring or receipt of a person by such means as threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation."

Then I looked up facts and statistics regarding the number of trafficked humans. According to a conservative estimate by the International Labor Organization, around 2.4 million people—overwhelmingly women and girls—are currently in forced labor as a result of trafficking, creating a 32 billion USD industry worldwide. Around 1.2 million victims of trafficking are minors: around 43% are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation while 32% are for involuntary servitude, and 25% for a mixture of both .

Next, because of our focus on Nepal and India, I decided to narrow my search and learn about . why/how they got into the slave trade and what roles they played within the industry. Nepali victims are trafficked within Nepal, to India, the Middle East, and other areas such as Malaysia and forced to become prostitutes, domestic servants, beggars, factory workers, mine workers, circus performers, child soldiers, and others. Sex trafficking is particularly rampant within Nepal and to India, with as many as 5,000-10,000 women and girls trafficked to India alone each year.

Nepali girls are especially desirable as prostitutes in India because they are considered more attractive due to their lighter skin color, and because Nepali virgins are believed to be able to cure AIDS. Are you kidding me?!? Some of this stuff is ludicrous! 

Most victims were lured with promises of better jobs in areas such as India, Dubai, or Saudi Arabia; other tactics include false marriages and proposals, force, and approaching indebted families to sell their daughters to pay their debts, sometimes under the guise of a dowry for a marriage. The most vulnerable are women and girls who are illiterate or uneducated, involved in marginalized livelihoods, deserted by their husbands or families, victims of abuse and violence, and those from disadvantaged communities and extremely poor families. In the places of enslavement, victims are often imprisoned, followed with guards, routinely sexually and physically abused across different types of trafficking. Victims receive little or no pay for their work, work in dangerous conditions for extremely long periods of time, and are threatened physically and psychologically. Victims are often held in debt bondage by their captors, which means they are forced to pay off a debt for their families or transportation fee.

Despite efforts at legislating against trafficking, lack of enforcement remains one of the highest hurdles to combatting trafficking in Nepal. First, governments and society tend to judge the woman guilty of prostitution and minimize the trafficker's role in this crime. Secondly, government police officials are often corrupt; pimps maintain close relations with police and politicians in connection with their trafficking activities. Thirdly, few survivors press charges, reflecting that survivors have little trust towards law enforcement mechanisms or mechanisms are ineffective to bring the survivors to report.

Human trafficking in India, although illegal, is a huge problem. An estimated 20-65 million Indians are affected by human trafficking, with women and girls being targeted the most.  

India’s efforts to protect victims of trafficking varies from state to state, but remains inadequate in many places.Victims of bonded labor are entitled to INR 10,000 ($185) from the central government for rehabilitation, but this program is unevenly executed across the country. Government authorities do not proactively identify and rescue bonded laborers, so few victims receive this assistance. Although children trafficked for forced labor may be housed in government shelters and are entitled to INR 20,000 ($370), the quality of many of these homes remains poor and the disbursement of rehabilitation funds is sporadic.

This idea that one human being can take such advantage of another human being is so incredibly sad to me. These girls are being infected with numerous STDs and HIV/AIDS and literally have no choice or say in the matter. There bodies are used in whatever way their captors choose and most often face severe PTSD and emotional/psychological/physical ramifications. Some sex slaves who escape end up back in the industry because they were caught again or because they simply cannot make it in the world. This truly breaks my heart makes me wonder what would happen if this were a widespread problem in America. I know that we do actually have a significant problem in the United States but I feel like there is more hope than for those trafficked in Napal, India, and the Middle East because of our government and resources.