Nepali women and children from farwest falling victim to trafficking and sexual exploitation in India

Baitadi: A serious situation has emerged in which women and children traveling from the Far West Province to Pithoragarh, India, in search of employment are becoming victims of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and rape. Recently, 75 Nepali women and children in Pithoragarh were rescued from trafficking and exploitation.

In recent times, the number of people, including women and children, traveling to India as wage laborers has increased significantly. Even school-aged children have been found reaching Pithoragarh either with their families or alone in search of work.

The issue came to light following an incident in which a couple from Purchaudi Municipality in Baitadi lost their lives in an accident while in Pithoragarh for employment. Investigations following the incident revealed that two girls aged 13 and 15 who were accompanying the couple had fallen into the hands of human traffickers and were raped. Details of the case were made public after the Pithoragarh-based organization CARD rescued women and children who had been subjected to child labor, sexual exploitation, and rape under the guise of employment.

According to Surendra Arya, secretary of the organization, a legal struggle was carried out under the ‘Ujwala’ program, supported by the Indian government, from 2016 to 2024 for the rescue, protection, and justice of 75 Nepali women and children. He said that after the program concluded, the victims who were under the organization’s protection were safely returned to Nepal.

A total of 27 Nepali children who were victims of human trafficking were rescued and kept at the Ujwala Rehabilitation Center in Pithoragarh. The rescued children were from Darchula, Baitadi, Dadeldhura, and Kanchanpur districts. Arya said that among them, 17 children were forced into child labor, while 10 girls were confirmed to have been sexually exploited and raped.

Poverty, unemployment, and lack of parental care have been identified as the primary causes of human trafficking. Legal facilitator Tanuja Pokhariyal said that court cases have been filed against several Indian citizens on charges of employing, trafficking, and sexually exploiting children aged between 10 and 18 who had reached India. Until the cases were resolved, the organization arranged food, shelter, and education for the children.

However, due to budget constraints, the children had to be returned to Nepal before the legal cases were concluded, according to the Ujwala Rehabilitation Center. There is also an example of a woman from Kanchanpur who was trafficked to Pithoragarh via the Darchula border crossing. She was provided protection for two years and returned to Nepal after her case was resolved. Discussions are reportedly underway with Nepali authorities to repatriate victimized children in coordination with the Indian Child Welfare Committee.

Baitadi Chief District Officer Punya Bikram Poudel said that the issue of Nepali women and children traveling to India for seasonal employment would be raised at the Nepal–India Security Committee meeting.

Meanwhile, local governments do not have official data on families traveling to India for employment. Lalmani BK of Sigas–1 said that due to the lack of employment opportunities in villages, it has become impossible for families to sustain themselves without going to India.

A large number of people from Purchaudi Municipality, Surnaya, Sigas, and Dilasaini rural municipalities in Baitadi are traveling to India for wage labor. Similarly, many residents from Patan and Melauli municipalities, as well as Shivnath, Dogadakedar, and Pancheshwor rural municipalities, are also seeking employment across the border.

Excerpt edited from Gorkhapatra