CLS Christian Lawyer Magazine June 2014_Proofforweb.pdf Jun. 2014 | Page 13

directly to an Indian brothel in Mumbai, New Delhi, or Calcuta.9 Sex-traicking is not, however, the only type of human
traicking in Nepal. Nepal is also a source country for forced
migration and labor traicking.10 UNICEF estimates that approximately 5,000-7,000 Nepali girls are traicked across the
border into India each year.11 As with many developing countries, human traicking lourishes in Nepal, despite its illegality, due to lack of enforcement.12
Tiny Hands International (THI)13 began its anti-traicking
work in 2006. Currently, a number of organizations rescue
girls out of brothels. Indeed, this work is critical. However,
when girls are rescued out of brothels without successful prosecution or the forced closure of the brothel, the brutal reality
is that a space may simply be created for another girl to be traficked. For this reason, THI implements a diferent strategy
which includes closely monitoring the borders to prevent Nepali girls from reaching India’s brothels.
Nationals cross the Nepal-India border freely, without needing to present passports or visas.14 As a result, border police
lack the initiative to check for illegal activity, allowing traickers and their victims to easily move across the border.
Traicking across the Nepal-India border is characterized by
deception. Traickers promise marriage, education, or employment opportunities to a population desperate to escape
seemingly inescapable poverty. Urmila was one Nepali girl in
such a situation who was later intercepted by THI. his is how
her story began:
I worked in a bread factory with my cousin. She talked
about trying to ind work outside Nepal. A man overheard us and approached me. He told me to consider
going outside the country, too. He kept pressuring me
to go, saying “It’ll be good for you. You don’t have any
education. You can earn more outside Nepal.” I had
to take care of my brothers. Both of my parents have
passed away. So that’s when I had to compromise.15

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