Girl trafficking is an integral part of social and economic fabric of Nepal and also the other parts
of the world. Girl trafficking is very common especially in developing countries such as Nepal and India. Between 7000 and 12,000 young girls, each year are trafficked from Nepal to mainly India, (Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000: Trafficking in Persons Report, U.S. State Department, and June, 2006). Today 200,000 Nepali girls are in Indian brothels. However that does not mean that trafficking does not exist in developed countries. According to the United Nations, approximately 4 million women, children, and men are victims of international trafficking each year (UN, 2000).
Due to poverty, illiteracy and ignorance, mostly victims from the rural villages fall prey to the false promises of work and marriage, and roles in films. Having such high hopes to be rich and successful, many girls have been smuggled from the hills of Nepal to the Indian cities. The Constitution of Nepal has guarantee the right of equality to women, however discrimination and problems against women manifest in a number of ways. In many cases, they are regarded as commodities, and second-class citizens, and they suffer discrimination in social, cultural, economic and political fronts as well. The trafficking of women is deeply rooted within such oppressive culture, (Chudal, Kumar, Women Trafficking in Nepal, Center for social research, 2001.)
There are two types of trafficking, “soft” and “hard" which commonly occur in rural villages in the southern Tarai region of Nepal. “Soft” trafficking is when a young girl goes to India under the pretense of finding employment or arranging a marriage. “Hard” trafficking is when a girl’s parents knowingly sell their daughter to a trafficker, garnering a price anywhere from US$200 to $600.
These girls and young women are compelled to engage in commercial sex trade. They lead a miserable life in the brothels. Girls may not leave the brothels until they have repaid their debt, at which time they are sick, with HIV and/or tuberculosis, and often have children of their own (Wadhwa, Soma, For sale: childhood, Outlook India, February, 1998). Forcing these victims in such trade presents risk to their physical and mental health, and particularly their sexual health. Even though they may manage to escape or return back home, majority of them would be infected with various sexually transmitted diseases (STD), including HIV / AIDS. In a 1996 police raid on a Bombay brothel, 70% of the 218 Nepali girls were HIV positive. (Jill Hannum, author of AIDS in Nepal: Communities Confronting An Emerging Epidemic) Even if they manage to escape or get rescued from the brothels, their families and communities often refuse to take them back because of the social stigma attached to such a practice. Upon seeing the financial problems faced by their family members, being discriminated by villagers and friends for working in the sex trade, these may again drive the victims to return back to their old lives in the brothels even though they may be suffering inside.
The Human Trafficking Control Act of Nepal was passed in 1986, which prohibits the trafficking of girls and women. Trafficking is defined as "an act of threat, incitement, and sale of women for the purpose of prostitution.” Those found guilty of trafficking face 5-20 years imprisonment. A major problem with Nepal’s domestic laws is lack of enforcement. Corruption in the legal system is prevalent. Despite the formal recognition of girl trafficking as a major problem and the existence of laws to curtail it, trafficking continues. There is only one specific UN instrument that addresses girl trafficking— the 1949 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, which Nepal has not ratified.
Girl trafficking has caused intolerable degradation and sufferings for the victims. It has also led to gross violation of human rights and social crimes. Certain measures should be taken by the government of each country to prevent girl trafficking. Public dramas and awareness programs should be organized in schools, colleges and especially in the rural villages. There should be access to education so that people are educated and more aware of HIV / AIDS, and what greed for better life can lead to by being too desperate and not knowing if it is a false promise or hope. Employment opportunities must be created so that the people would not have to think of alternate ways of earning a living in order to support themselves or their family members. People who are really fighting to curb human trafficking should be awarded and protected by government so as to encourage them and attract more people into the group.
The United Nations has cited human trafficking as an international crime. The world body estimates that this illegal trade generates more than US $12 billion worldwide. More than 800,000 people are trafficked annually and forced into prostitution and threatened with death should they attempt to escape the clutches of their captors. Since almost all countries are suffering from human trafficking, the whole world must work together to eliminate this human vice.