Over 1,500 women and children rescued from Jamunaha border

By Siraj Khan,Nepalgunj, Sept. 9: The Nepal-India Jamunaha border in Nepalgunj has been identified as a high-risk point for human trafficking. In the past year alone, 1,538 individuals at risk of trafficking were rescued from this border point.

According to Maiti Nepal Nepalgunj, which has been working against trafficking at the Jamunaha border for years, 335 of those rescued were women and children from Banke district alone.

Keshav Koirala, coordinator of Maiti Nepal Nepalgunj, said that during the fiscal year 2024/25, 80 individuals from Kohalpur, 68 from Baijnath, 56 from Nepalgunj, 47 from Khajura, 45 from Rapti Sonari, 20 from Janaki, 10 from Narainapur, and 9 from Duduwa were rescued and sent back from the Jamunaha border.

He stated that during the same period last year, 833 complaints had been registered regarding missing women and children, but only 437 were subsequently found. Searches are still ongoing for the rest. Of those missing, 119 cases were reported from the Banke district alone, of which 114 have been traced.

Koirala said that the growing influence of social media, internet access, and modern technology has changed the methods and routes of human trafficking, making prevention more challenging.

He also added that Banke and Bardiya districts in western Nepal, which share borders with India, are currently at high risk of trafficking. Previously considered only transit points, these districts have now become origin areas where increasing numbers of women and girls go missing or fall into risk.

Maiti Nepal’s data shows that among those missing or at risk, Brahmin and Chhetri communities constitute the highest numbers, followed by Dalits, Janajatis, and indigenous groups. By age, most of the victims fall between 14 and 40 years.