Ambassador Peter W. Bodde met and congratulated Nepal’s anti-trafficking hero, Judge Tek Narayan Kunwar, at the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday.

According to a press release issued by , Public Affairs Section Embassy of The United States Judge, Kunwar was recognized by the U.S. State Department as a Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Hero in 2014.  Each year, the TIP Report recognizes ten heroes for their efforts to fight human trafficking in their home countries.  On June 20, 2014, Secretary of State John F. Kerry honored Nepal’s anti-trafficking hero Judge Kunwar during the unveiling of the 2014 TIP Report in Washington, DC.

 Lalitpur District Judge Tek Narayan Kunwar was awarded the TIP Hero honor for being at the forefront of efforts in Nepal to counter trafficking in persons by fully implementing the Human Trafficking and Transportation Control Act (HTTCA) of 2007, while championing the rights of victims.  Judge Kunwar’s victim-centered approach has provided a much needed ray of hope in the ongoing legal struggle against trafficking.  During his previous tenure in District Court Makwanpur, he pioneered a “Fast Track Court System” to decrease the length of time trafficking survivors must wait to appear in court.  The Judicial Council of Nepal, a national government agency, named Judge Kunwar the Best Performing Judge of 2013 for his aggressive approach to combating human trafficking.

The TIP Report assesses governments around the world on their efforts to combat modern slavery.  This year's Report includes narratives of 188 countries and territories.  Nepal continues to remain in Tier 2, as a country assessed as not fully complying with the minimum standards, but making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with those standards.