Japanese Learners Almost Trafficked

Nisha (17) and Saraswati (16)* had been learning Japanese for the past several months. Like many ambitious young women of their age, they believe that with the right opportunities and hard work, everything else will pay off. From where they came from, living conditions were extremely poor, and they wanted to help their families achieve a better quality of life.

We found her near our branch office. When we met them, they initially refused to disclose their real names and addresses. Because of our highly-trained staff, they eventually opened up to us and we were able to know them more. Because they were poor, they were only able to study up to 12th grade. When an opportunity of working in Japan came, they knew it was “the” opportunity they were waiting for.

They had come to Kathmandu after meeting two men from Tik Tok. These people provided them food and lodging for the past three months. The men promised them to pay for their Japanese language training. Moreover, their entire process of moving to Japan will be shouldered by them. Not only them, but their parents also think this is an excellent opportunity for the both of them so they allowed the two girls to move to Kathmandu with these men.

However, the Japanese language training was not provided as promised. Instead of attending formal classes, they were being taught in a small room along with five to six other people. They were told that this would go on for four months and that the rest of the process would be in India. In India, they were expected to stay for a month to fully complete their process.

When we asked them what they were doing at the location where we found them, they reluctantly told us that the men sent them there to meet two new girls who were joining their little “program.” We asked them why they seemed tight-lipped about answering and one of them said,

“They told us not to talk to anyone.”

Perhaps it was their intuition that guided them to talk to us, but we are glad that they did. We provided them with a detailed counseling session on human trafficking and how to move safely with foreign employment procedures. The girls admitted to us that they had very little knowledge about human trafficking until that moment; and that after hearing from us, they realized the seriousness of their situation. 

As if having an epiphany, Nisha and Saraswati held on to each other, frightened. The pair decided not to pursue going abroad and instead choose to return home for safety. It truly bothered them that they never imagined such a thing, and how they almost fell into that kind of trap. 

Before we parted, the two expressed their sincere gratitude to our staff and our organization for enlightening them about human trafficking. They cannot wait to return home to their families and friends and tell them about what they learned in Kathmandu.

*Names were changed for privacy. 

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