ID :
382768
Wed, 10/07/2015 - 05:54
Auther :

Human Trafficking Syndicates Target Thousands Of Young Nepalese Women

By M. Santhiran NEW DELHI, Oct 7 (Bernama) -- Human trafficking syndicates are targetting thousands of young Nepalese women after duping them into joining India-based recruitment companies on the pretext of securing lucrative jobs. Most of the women are from remote areas of Nepal and are believed to have crossed over to India to join the companies. An exclusive report in a leading newspaper here, The Hindu, stated that one of the companies based in Varanasi, India was closely linked to a well-organised international human trafficking syndicate. It said within a few months, an estimated 60,000 Nepalese nationals, mostly young women, were believed to have crossed over to India to join the company. A senior police officer was quoted as saying that human traffickers targetted vulnerable sections from areas not affected by the massive April earthquake, as most relief agencies had been focussing on pockets that witnessed massive devastation. Several young girls interviewed by the daily said they paid Rs150,000 to Rs200,000 (about US$2,300 to US$3,100) to the company's Nepali nationals before they are enlisted as agents to bring in more candidates from the remote hills of Nepal, with the promise of huge returns. "We cannot stop the girls who are majors and carry valid citizenship papers,” a policeman told the daily. A volunteer with Maiti Nepal, a non-governmental organisation said an average of 600 girls crossed over to India daily. “Everyone wants to join this company in Varanasi. They have with them only a card of the firm carrying its name, 'WinWin', (and) no other details. We don’t know where exactly these girls are taken to,” he told the daily. Trafficking of Nepalese nationals across the border is not a new phenomenon, but after an earthquake devastated Nepal in April this year, security personnel say there has been a spike in the outflow of young women looking for jobs abroad. This became tellingly evident recently, following the case of a Saudi diplomat in Delhi, who was alleged to have sexually assaulted two young girls from Nepal. -- BERNAMA

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