Caritas India was represented at the Indo-Nepal cross-border workshop this week at Nepalgunj town, organised by Shakti Samuha, the first survivor organisation in the world from Nepal. This workshop was held after a prolonged break due to Covid-19, to discuss the post-Covid-19 trends in Human Trafficking and prepare a strategy to curb it. In Nepal, Covid-19 has amplified the economic hardship of people who lack financial resources and are being trafficked in India and other countries.

Shakti Samuha founder director, Miss Charimaya Taman shared in her presentation that the hardest hit of Human trafficking is the daily wage earners, women working in the entertainment sector, brick-kiln workers, and owners of small businesses. She also shared that the pandemic has led to significant financial setbacks for these families as they lost their source of income. Through this workshop, Shakti Samuh tried to develop a strategy with the mutual consensus of all like-minded agencies in India and Nepal to come together to combat Human trafficking.

Caritas India representative, Animesh Williams updated the participants on their post-Covid initiatives to curb trafficking. Animesh mentioned that around 60 suspected victims of Human trafficking were rescued through interception booths at Sonauli and Rupaidiha major transition points, from child marriage, child labour and orchestra bands.

He also shared how Caritas India three years back took the lead to hold the Inter-ministerial dialogue where the concern of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was proposed to be tabled before both the government representatives so that the gaps and challenges can be addressed jointly to control human trafficking. However, the proposal was not formalised due to the pandemic. He suggested Shakti Samuha come up with a draft with some major clauses that can be presented at the policy level to propose the document delineating the roles and responsibilities of first responders and law enforcement agencies who play a crucial role in combatting Human Trafficking.

Superintendent of Police Nepalgunj Banke, Shri Shyam Krishna suggested that the crime of human trafficking can be stopped through joint initiatives where all agencies had to collaborate and take efforts to curb the risk of human trafficking.

Banke Nepalgunj CDO, Shri Surya Bahadur Khatri argued that the post covid Human trafficking trends are changed and now the traffickers had adopted an advanced modus operandi and they are using digital platforms for inviting the youths and other needy individuals for jobs and work. “Social media is one of the fastest means where many of them are available,” he said. He argued for the need for stringent laws and policies so the efforts of traffickers can be easily wrecked.

Chairperson of Municipal corporation Nepalgunj, Ms. Shobha said that the government is trying its best to control the menace of Human Trafficking. She said that continuous meetings of the stakeholders are needed so that each case could be monitored, and the culprit can be put behind the bars. She also said that trafficking from Nepal to India and other countries has raised and must be curbed through a collaborative effort

Keshav Koirala regional director from Maiti Nepal also focussed on the collaboration of all stakeholders to control Human trafficking. He said that the Caritas India proposal is a significant building on which a bilateral dialogue can be held to influence the policymakers to draft a document for common understanding.

The meeting was attended by Educationalists from different alma mater who shared how college and school students are targeted by the perpetrators who lure them for money and sell them in other countries.

The workshop ended with the way forward that cross-border human trafficking needs to be controlled collectively. Agencies from India and Nepal had to come together for developing coherent coordination and formalize the legal document along with the government. This will help overcome all the implications affecting the initiatives of the agencies addressing the issue of cross border Human trafficking.