512 women rescued from being trafficked at Kapilbastu border last fiscal year

Kapilbastu, July 29 , Several organisations are found keeping a watch at the Nepal-India border and checkpoints in a bid to check human trafficking. However, the trafficking incidents are not found decreasing.

The Peace Rehabilitation Centre and Afanta Nepal, both based at local Krishnanagar, have been keeping a surveillance of the border areas and checkpoints for prevention of human trafficking.

Statistics for the last three years provided by these two organizations shows that incidents of human trafficking using the Kapilbastu border are instead increasing every year.

The two organisations rescued 235 women, most of them adolescent girls, from being trafficked to India through the border in Fiscal Year 2016/17. They stopped 279 women from being trafficked in the following Fiscal Year.

Similarly, the organisations prevented 512 women from being trafficked in Fiscal Year 2018/19. They also gave counseling to 8,247 adolescent girls last year against human trafficking issues.

The Peace Rehabilitation Centre had rescued 10 adolescent girls from India. It had rescued 255 women last year from being trafficked, and of them 125 were repatriated to their parents while 128 were handed over to police for custody.

Coordinator of the organisation Bhumi Raj Bhattarai said his organisation handed over two girls to other organizations for custody. It counseled 4,138 women against trafficking and how not to be duped into it last year.

It is stated that five trafficking victims out of those rescued filed cases with the police against their traffickers. Afanta Nepal, which has been working in anti-human trafficking activities in the district for the last one decade, rescued 257 women from being trafficked.

Its district coordinator Keshar Bishwakarma said 121 girls were repatriated to their families while 122 girls were handed to police for their custody.

Among the rescued girls, 14 were sent to a rehabilitation centre in Chitwan. Likewise, the organisation, in course of border watch, counseled 4,109 girls on human trafficking issues and how to remain safe in Fiscal Year 2018/19.