The number of Nepalese women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation is on the rise, while the number of women seeking justice has gone down over the past couple of years. According to the annual report of the Office of the Attorney General of the Kingdom of Nepal, only 54 cases against traffickers were filed in 2002-03, reports One World. However, the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare states 5000 to 7000 Nepalese women are sent to brothels in India every year.
According to One World, Nepal has a strict legal system dealing with traffickers but victims often don’t file cases due to social stigma, lengthy judicial processes, and lack of access to the law. In addition, of the cases that are filed only a few result on verdicts on the side of the victim and in only 40% of the cases are the traffickers even caught by the police. Government officials stated that the government is working hard to overcome trafficking issues in Nepal, but they are realizing that more needs to be done than just the installation of legal provisions.
At the World Social Forum in Bombay that began on Friday, Nepalese activists demonstrated against the trafficking of women and girls, reports Agence France Presse. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 12,000 women and children are trafficking every year, while some NGO’s estimate that number to be as high as 30,000.
