598 Women and Girls Rescued from Trafficking Risk in Nepalgunj Transit Point in 2024

Maiti Nepal’s Nepalgunj office reported rescuing 598 women and girls at risk of trafficking from the Nepalgunj border checkpoint during 2024. The announcement came during an anti-human trafficking interaction organized by the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), Banke Chapter.

Keshav Koirala, the coordinator of Maiti Nepal’s Nepalgunj branch, revealed that these individuals were intercepted while traveling to various countries, including India, under suspicious circumstances. Many were reportedly lured under the pretext of seeking employment, marriage, visiting relatives, shopping, or tourism.

“After questioning, it became evident that these women and girls were at high risk of being trafficked,” Koirala explained. He also highlighted that Maiti Nepal received 177 applications in 2024 to locate missing individuals, out of which 407 were eventually found.

Most of the rescued individuals hail from districts such as Surkhet, Bardiya, Dang, Jajarkot, and Dailekh in Lumbini and Karnali provinces. According to Koirala, Banke district had the highest number of reported cases.

Koirala warned that human trafficking agents are increasingly exploiting social media platforms to target victims. Maiti Nepal has been actively coordinating with all three tiers of government to combat trafficking and protect vulnerable individuals.

The organization’s efforts underline the urgent need for vigilance and collective action to address human trafficking, a persistent challenge in Nepal and beyond.