An organization actively combating human trafficking has successfully intervened and rescued 288 vulnerable women, teenagers, and children from multiple checkpoints in Banke district in the last fiscal year, preventing them from falling prey to trafficking.

Shanti Punarsthapana Griha, Nepalgunj, reported that in the fiscal year 2022/23, they successfully rescued 288 women, teenagers, and children who were at a high risk of being trafficked from different checkpoints in the district.

Nirmal Subedi, the regional programme coordinator of the organisation, said that out of the 288 individuals rescued during the specified period, 233 were rescued from the Jamunaha checkpoint.

In addition, the organisation also rescued 22 individuals from Shivapuri checkpoint in Janaki Rural Municipality, 12 from Khadaicha checkpoint in Daduwa Rural Municipality, four from Suiya-Bagouda checkpoint in Narainapur Rural Municipality, and 17 from the information and counselling centre situated at the bus park of Kohalpur Municipality.

According to Subedi, the rescued individuals hailed from 39 districts, with the highest number from Banke at 58. Likewise, 42 of the rescued are from Bardiya, 28 from Surkhet, 20 from Jajarkot, 18 from Dailekh, 17 from Dang, and 17 from Salyan.

According to Subedi, the organisation has registered four cases related to human trafficking and transportation within the past year.

He highlighted that the prevention of human trafficking remains challenging primarily because of the open border and the lack of awareness at the community level.

The desire for quick wealth, peer influence, the pursuit of better opportunities, and poverty make women and girls fall prey to traffickers, he added.

The rising use of modern technology has made it difficult to control trafficking as traffickers continuously employ innovative methods to exploit and manipulate women and girls.

Likewise, in the last fiscal year, the organization repatriated 22 vulnerable individuals from various locations in India following their rescue.

As per the report, the organization achieved success in locating and reuniting 124 individuals with their relatives out of 172 applications received for the search for their loved ones.

According to Subedi, the organization has been conducting an anti-trafficking campaign by establishing information and consultation centers at various checkpoints, including Suiya-Bagouda checkpoint in Narainapur, Khadaicha checkpoint in Duduwa, Shivapuri checkpoint in Janaki, Jamunaha checkpoint in Nepalgunj, and the Bus Park in Kohalpur repots The Rising Nepal.