Nepal: Earthquake Raises Fears of Human Trafficking

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Nepal report that human traffickers are targeting women and girls devastated by last month’s powerful earthquake. The NGOs, including the local anti-trafficking group Maiti Nepal, say that children are particularly vulnerable in areas of Nepal hardest hit by the earthquake. According to the U.N. International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), nearly one million children cannot attend school due to building damage or collapse. The Voice of America reports that people in Nepal “are increasingly desperate after losing everything in the quake, and are now vulnerable to traffickers with their promises of work and wages.”

 

Compiled from: Ron Corben, NGOs: Nepali Women, Girls Vulnerable to Traffickers, Voice of America (May 10, 2015).