Human trafficking refuses to die down in Nepal due to complicity by govt officials: Report

by Mumta on Wednesday, June 16th 2010, 10:27 AM

Human trafficking refuses to die down in Nepal due to complicity by govt officials: Report:-

- ekantipur News Reports from USA

Traffickers are using their ties to politicians, business persons, state officials, police, customs officials, and border police in Nepal to facilitate human trafficking, according to the 10th Annual Trafficking in Persons Report, released in U.S capital Washington D.C on Monday.

However, in a positive light, the report stated that Nepal has made significant efforts to prosecute traffickers despite limited resources. Nepal also maintained its status as a Tier 2 country.

The report raises trafficking-related complicity by government officials as a serious problem.

"Trafficking-related complicity by government officials remained a serious problem in Nepal, with traffickers using ties to politicians, business persons, state officials, police, customs officials, and border police to facilitate trafficking. Despite these serious concerns, there were no investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in trafficking," said the report.

Releasing the report on Monday in Washington, DC, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it "a catalogue of tragedies that the world cannot continue to accept."

"Human trafficking crosses cultures and continents," she said. "I've met survivors of trafficking and their families, along with brave men and women in both the public and the private sector who have stood up against this terrible crime. All of us have a responsibility to bring this practice to an end."

The report recommends that the Nepal government increase law enforcement efforts against all types of trafficking and against government officials who are complicit in trafficking; institute a formal procedure to identify victims of trafficking and refer them to protection services; and, improve protection services and put in place more effective tracking mechanisms for both sex and labour trafficking cases. nepalnews.com

source:
www.nepalnews.com