Birgunj, Dec 19: The Birgunj branch office of Maiti Nepal has rescued 132 women and children who were being trafficked to India through the Birgunj border in 2024.
The individuals were intercepted at the Shankaracharya Gate, a Nepal-India border point, under suspicious circumstances. Goma Paudel, a supervisor at the Maiti Nepal Birgunj office, revealed that over the past year, the organization has rescued 132 women and children who were being taken to India.
“Maiti Nepal deploys personnel at the Shankaracharya Gate near the Nepal-India border to monitor the movement of women and children regularly. We intervene in cases of suspicious activity and provide necessary counseling,” said Paudel.
Among those rescued, 35 individuals were en route to work at the “We Winner” networking group in Patna, India. Additionally, 29 teenage girls were rescued while traveling to meet their Indian boyfriends, and 27 individuals were intercepted under the pretense of sightseeing in Bihar. Seventeen were found using work-related excuses, while 14 claimed to be heading to buy goods.
The rescued individuals include 54 under the age of 18 and 78 aged 19 and above.
In 2023, Maiti Nepal rescued 192 women and children from the border. Supervisor Paudel noted a slight decrease in trafficking attempts due to increased awareness in India.
Maiti Nepal also conducted inspections of 21,372 local vehicles at the border and provided anti-trafficking counseling to 25,615 people in 2023. The organization further rescued 18 women and children from various states in India last year. #nepal #india #MaitiNepal
