Six young girls, all appearing nervous and restless, were found in a cart about to cross the border. When asked, they were hesitant to share about their travel plans so they were taken aside by the staff at the border station for further inquiry. After they settled down and felt more at ease, they shared that they were travelling to Kuwait to pursue employment. However, this was a red flag as none of the girls could show proper documentation or tell the address or the name of the person they would be working for.
Prior to intercepting these girls, the staff already noticed an older woman waiting at the border who also seemed restless and suspicious. She was later on learned to be the person who promised the girls good-paying jobs as domestic workers. It became clearer that the girls were at high risk of being trafficked. The staff immediately contacted the authorities and the trafficker was apprehended.
With the help of the staff, the girls filed a legal case against their trafficker, who was then convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.
In celebration of International Women’s Month, we’d also like to appreciate and say a massive “Thank You” to the women working at our frontlines who #ChooseToChallenge. The staff at the stations sometimes work for more than 24 hours straight – monitoring the borders and assisting the girls from the moment of interception until they are safely transferred to a shelter or returned to their families. Yet, they remain passionate about this work of saving lives.
One of the staff shared her thoughts on their work, “Through transit monitoring and advocacy for human rights and freedom, we’ve been able to save and protect many vulnerable women and children. Intercepting victims at the border and bringing their traffickers to justice is a golden opportunity to save someone from imminent darkness and bring light into their lives.”
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Your support of USD 100 will fund the interception of a girl. If you are a company or an organization, for USD 8,500 you could fund an entire monitoring station for a year. Click on the links below to know more about the program and how you can send help.
Our Partners
Maya (name changed for protection and privacy) is 23 and works in a hotel as a cleaner. Things were going well for her until a fateful encounter with her cousin.
57 SHARES
Sapna is 16 and is from a large but poor family. Because of this, she had to quit her studies after the 10th grade and start working. She worked hard to help her family but due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the nationwide lockdown was implemented by the government, which created extreme financial hardship for Sapna and her family. One day, she received a call from an unknown number which almost changed her life.
9 SHARES
When girls are smuggled over the border, either by force or deception, most are never found. Our partner, 3 Angels Nepal, is working hard despite the restrictions and travel limitations, to stop girls before they are trafficked.
49 SHARES
Life has not always been easy for Saheli (name changed for protection) and her family however, with her father working hard, they still had a good life. When COVID-19 hit the world and Nepal went into lockdown, everything changed. Saheli’s father lost his job and so providing daily food for the family was difficult. In April, her world changed after meeting a man she knew as ‘uncle’.
21 SHARES
Kalindi (name changed for privacy and protection) thought she has found the love of her life online, only to find herself weeping with regret in the end.
42 SHARES
Mandeep (name changed for protection and privacy) had been through lots of hardships since she was a child - from losing her father, being abandoned, and taking on different jobs. She was found by our partner's staff sitting on a bridge, distressed and alone.
64 SHARES
