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Maiti Nepal works closely with the Nepali government to improve the interception of trafficked women and girls. Maiti Nepal’s staff assists the border police by interviewing every vulnerable girl and woman who crosses the border while their traveling companions are interrogated by the police. Maiti Nepal also operates transit homes along the Nepali and Indian border in order to provide shelter and services for the trafficked girls and women identified through their intervention. Maiti Nepal’s border guarding operation has not only rescued hundreds of potential trafficking victims. The tactic has also resulted in legal proceedings against human traffickers, putting pressure upon local administrations to take action against the criminals.

Trafficking in Nepal is a serious problem: According to Maiti Nepal, 200,000 Nepali girls are forced to live like prostitutes in India today as a result of trafficking (Online). Girl trafficking in Nepal is on the rise with the increasing demands of sex workers in Indian brothels and in international markets. The Feminist Daily News Wire states that every year, between 5,000 and 7,000 Nepali women and girls are forced to work as prostitutes in Indian brothels. Overall, activists estimate that 150,000 Nepali women have been taken up by the flesh trade (Online).

Maiti Nepal started in November 1993 when professionals such as teachers, journalists, and social workers joined together to combat the plague of girl trafficking. One obvious way to combat trafficking is to prevent traffickers from crossing the borders. Yet often, the border police failed to identify potential victims and apprehend traffickers. Other times, corrupt officials at the border turned a blind eye to suspicious border crossings. Maiti Nepal identified the government as a potential partner in its goal to combat human trafficking, and works jointly with the government in its border guarding operation. The government provides Maiti Nepal with the access to work with the border police, and Maiti Nepal provides experienced and sensitive staff (often women who themselves have been trafficked or who have been rescued from trafficking) for interviewing potential victims.

The border guarding teams are jointly staffed by police and Maiti Nepal workers. They confront suspicious travelers around Nepal’s borders and poor areas. Teams stop every car and rickshaw. If women and girls are traveling with men, the border police take the men aside for interrogation. Meanwhile, Maiti Nepal’s staff questions the women. Interviewers pose questions such as “why are you going to India,” and “how long have you known the man.” During the interview, staff observes the women very closely for any slips or inconsistencies in the women’s stories, or other indicators such as unusual body language, dress, and make-up. Interviewers also tell the women about the sex-trade industry in India.

If the stories are inconsistent, the women are intercepted and the traffickers are apprehended by the border police. Maiti Nepal’s staff brings the women to transit homes where they can stay for a short period. The homes provide food, shelter, counseling, and voluntary medical check-ups. The organization contacts the women’s or the girls’ parents for a safe passage back to their villages, and provides transportation costs as well as an escort to accompany them. If the women’s or the girls’ relatives are not willing to take the girls back or if the relatives played a part in the trafficking process, Maiti Nepal provides the girls with counseling, rehabilitation, and training to be financially sustainable (Maiti Nepal teaches income-generating skills including mushroom farming, kitchen gardening, bamboo crafting, food processing, sewing, and cutting).

Finally, while women and girls remain in the transit homes, Maiti Nepal encourages them to identify the criminals in order to establish a case for legal action. Maiti Nepal also seeks information about traffickers in order to maintain records and form networks with other like-minded organizations. Maiti Nepal provides the information that it collects to local governments, and puts pressure on them to act.

To implement this tactic in a different context, it is necessary to have a strong collaboration with a state government, emabling close collaboration with entities such as border police. Additionally, it is vital that the survivors of trafficking be supported, counseled, to empower them to reintegrate in their communities and address the root causes of trafficking.

(Photo: Screenshot of CNN video on Anuradha Koirala's work with Maiti Nepal)