Nepal Trafficking in Girls With Special Reference to Prostitution: A ...

A Rapid Assessment
5.5 Conclusions
A range of factors contribute to the problem of
trafficking, and a range of actors are involved, the individual
child, family members, members of the community
and players at the national level. Trafficking
is also associated with power relations in society, distrust
of the police system, and the trend of globalisation
accelerating exploitative labour relations.
”The creators of the situation of trafficking
are the samantis (exploiters). Trafficking is
due to biwastaa (difficult circumstances).
Because of this there is exploitation,” says a
50-year-old man from Nuwakot.
To understand trafficking, there must be consideration
of economic, social, cultural and political
factors at individual, family and local community levels.
There must also be critical examination of the most
commonly accepted explanations of trafficking. This
report has attempted to do both.
However, it is not still clear which of the many
explanations mentioned is most plausible, or which
one of the many causes discussed can be said to be
the leading cause of trafficking in Nepal. Thus, not
all poor households or all dysfunctional families are
affected by trafficking, as it was observed that affluent
families are also affected by the phenomenon.
The study has revealed some of the push and
pull factors for child trafficking. As long as the price
is high enough, traffickers will abduct girls, especially
because the threat of getting caught is as low as it is.
As long as the cultural values and gender discriminatory
practices prevail, the position of girls will remain
precarious. As long as families are broken or dysfunctional
and they have nowhere to turn, they may send
their children away or the children may themselves
want to leave their homes.
A baseline study with comprehensive data would
surely shed more light on some of the aspects and
explanations of this complex phenomenon. A comparison
of the socio-economic conditions of the affected
households and non-affected households is recommended.
Finally, the distinction between soft and hard
trafficking can be elaborated providing a clearer understanding
of when, at whom and why interventions
should take place. In areas where families are very
much involved a different approach to prevention and
awareness-raising may have to be followed than in areas
where hard trafficking prevails and where the parents
already are ‘against’ it. This is particularly challenging
as the child in some instances needs to be protected
from the very people who traditionally are her
most important protectors. The same unit which provides
everything for a child can, at the same time, be
the one that suppresses the child and denies her of her
right not to be exploited through one of the worst forms
of child labour, children being used in prostitution.
3 9