Prevention of Human Trafficking in Nepal

To prevent and reduce the cases of human trafficking and unsafe migration in Parsa and Makwanpur district of Nepal, HIMRIGHTS participated the GlobalGiving December accelerator to raise the funds. We proposed various community level activities such as capacity building programs, training, and support to survivors and mass awareness activities focusing women, children and youth- Wall Graffiti was one of the activities for mass awareness.

Prior to implementation of the activities, we consulted with our district staffs from Parsa and Makwanpur. Due to the limitation of budget raised, we decided Wall Graffiti would be the best for  mass awareness activities in Parsa (the major open international border areas of Nepal and India).  The Graffiti aims to reduce trafficking of women and children through informative pictorial messages and slogans. For this reporting phase we created four Wall Graffiti in one of the major international border areas to India; on the wall of the Customs Office, Community Health Post and in schools; with informative and pictorial messages on prevention of trafficking. We came to conclusion that multi-color pictorial artwork will attract those who are going to cross the border unsafely and or trafficked. They will be able to get the message to take action before crossing the border and return home or take support of the police or NGOs.

Nepal and India share more than 1850 kilometers of open international border and Parsa is one of the busiest exit/entry points with Birgunj is district headquarter. This is the entry point to India. There are six major open border points to India from Parsa: Raxual, Aalau, Prasauni, Bhishwa, Thori and Inarwasira. There are immigration and custom checkpoints. The open border between the two countries is one of the contributing factors in human trafficking and unsafe migration. This is made worse by lack of awareness on the issue, on the part of people and lack of systematic control by the Government. Awareness on possibilities of trafficking and unsafe migration, its consequences is very crucial in addressing the issue. Thus, we have selected these areas where local people and those traveling from especially central part of Nepal to India and beyond get the information on human trafficking and unsafe migration. These are the most visible spots where people stop before crossing the border; similarly when they go to go for health facilities. People can easily cross the international border without any documents, we would like to make people think seriously on prevention of unsafe migration and trafficking before crossing the border.

Two Graffiti are painted at the walls of two schools in the border area and next to the highway. The objective for doing it in the schools is for teachers and children to be aware on human trafficking and unsafe migration and share the messages to their family and communities. The graffiti were created in April-May 2018.

We will visit the schools, health post and custom office to assess the impact of the Graffiti to prevent unsafe migration and human trafficking. Next phase of Graffiti will be in Makwanpur and in the highway leading to this international border.

Preparations for the Graffiti:

The central and district staff did the mapping for the best locations in terms of mostly used for trafficking as well as where there are no NGOs working in this issue. The locations were finalized with third field visits. The team discussed with the concerned stakeholders of Birgunj Metropolis, Pokhariya Municipality, Chipaharmai Rural Municipality, and Custom Office, school management committees of Shree Nepal Rastriya Primary and Higher Secondary schools of Pokhariya and Birgunj and community about the activities and its objectives. They were very positive and provided free spaces for the pictorials. The local government also supported by permitting us to put the government logo in the painting, which will help to take the information seriously by the target group. 

We finalized the anti-human trafficking and safe migration slogans and artworks.  Similarly, the team decided along with our Bara office the size of each graffiti based on the selected areas, slogans and pictures. Drawings 1 and 2 are created by the children for comic book and posters on human trafficking in 2002, conducted by HIMRIGHTS with some changes.

 Graffiti Contents:

 1)                  The definition on Human Trafficking as “Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others by luring, force, abduction”   was written in all the Graffiti to educate people and create mass awareness among vulnerable groups and the community.

 2)                  Slogans and message written in the graffiti:

 Picture 1 and 2             Brokers may lure, deceiving with good job and money,

                                  It might be traps do not blindly fall for it.

Picture 3:                     Be careful…

                                   Save yourself and others from being trafficked.

Picture 4:                     Don’t be quite, raise the voice against human trafficking,

                                   Please join the hands to make safe and civilized society.

Graffiti Areas and Size

Location                                            Rural/ Municipality                                     Painted areas/ size

Bishwa Custom Office                          Bishwa, Chipaharmai Rural Municipality             30 square feet

Shree Nepal Rastriya Higher Secondary School,      Pokhariya Municipality                    50 square feet

Pokhariya Health Post                          Pokhariya Muncipality                                       30 square feet

Shree Nepal Rastriya Secondary School Aalau, Birgunj Metroplis                                    50 square feet