On July 30, Maiti Nepal was one of the organisations that celebrated World Day Against Trafficking in Persons with the motto of “Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind”.
Founded in 1993 by Anuradha Koirala, 2010 CNN Hero of the Year, Maiti Nepal has been a pioneering organisation working to create a society free from the trafficking of women and children in Nepal.
Koirala was the one who allocated a day against human trafficking and started celebrating it on July 30. It was accepted by the government of Nepal in 2013. The United Nations then started observing July 30 as the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in 2014.
Participated by the victims of human trafficking rescued by Maiti Nepal and individuals working against trafficking, women and children marked the day by raising their voices against the serious crime.
Speaking at the programme to mark the day, Koirala stressed that the government had failed to take effective steps to minimise the cases of human trafficking.
The programme was attended by Surendra Raj Acharya, Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens, as the chief guest, and Nepali Congress Lawmaker Dr. Sunil Sharma, alongside representatives of Nepal Police.
“Every day, 10-15 children, especially girls, are brought to Maiti Nepal by security personnel after rescuing them from exploitation from different parts of Kathmandu alone. Some rescued girls were brought today morning as well,” said Koirala.
According to Maiti Nepal, children from several districts are being lured to the capital city of Kathmandu under different assurances and are being exploited physically, mentally and sexually.