As global community celebrates World Day Against Human Trafficking in persons, Nepal’s Far Western district of Kailali reported that 487 women and children went missing from the district last fiscal year. Of the missing, the whereabouts of the majority is yet to be known.

According to The Himalayan Times, a total of 287 women had gone missing last fiscal. Of them, 126 were found, while 161 could not be traced. Likewise, of the 68 minor boys, who went missing last fiscal, 39 were found and 29 were still missing. Of the 132 minor girls, only 77 were found while the 55 were yet to be accounted for.

At a time when Nepal observed World Day Against Human Trafficking in Persons along with the rest of the world on July 30, 2019, human trafficking of Nepalese girl is yet to recede.

According to a Nepal National Human Rights Commission report, 7,000 women and children are trafficked every year. Maiti Nepal, a non-profit organization against human trafficking has said that more than 5,000 women are trafficked to foreign nations via India.

According to data, on an average 15,000 people are trafficked each year on the promise of providing lucrative jobs.

More than 40,000 women have been victims of human trafficking in the last 10 years. Nepal experts have attributed poverty as the main cause of human trafficking in the country.

The Nepal Government has to step up its measures against human trafficking as the crime continues to be rampant in many parts of the country. While there are already stringent efforts in place from Nepal NGOs and human rights organizations, a lot has to be taken care of to substantially reduce Nepal’s crime rate.

According to a study conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 4 million people including men, women and children are trafficked per year, globally.