Understanding ‘trafficking vulnerabilities’ among children: the responses linking to child protection issues in Nepal

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to discuss child trafficking in Nepal within the broader framework of child protection. It examines both individual (gender, ethnicity and caste) and structural (their experiences in relation to work, migration, education and lack of birth registration) vulnerabilities and their links with child trafficking as a child protection concern. The paper provides suggestions for why there is a need for a more nuanced understanding of trafficking vulnerabilities as part of a continuum, rather than a distinct event, to improve outcomes for children. We use the evidence presented here to call for a holistic approach. Policies and programmes must be integrated within the broader concerns of child protection, thus strengthening the system from local to national level, while recognising the importance of children’s rights to participate in any decision-making.

KEYWORDS:

• Children
• trafficking
• gender
• child protection
• anti-trafficking interventions
• Nepal

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 In 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) declared a civil-war – also known as the ‘People’s War’ – that lasted a decade. The aim of the armed struggle was to abolish the special privileges of the King and royal family, and to promulgate a new republican constitution (Poudel 2011).

2 See Article 3 of UN Trafficking Protocol.

3 Kamaiya system was a form of agricultural debt bondage among the low caste, Tharu ethnic group in the western district of Nepal developed in the 1950s. The girl children were known as kamalari who worked as domestic workers in the home of the master. Although the kamaiya system was abolished in the 2000s, various bounded practices remain mainly in rural areas. Chaupadi pratha is a cultural practice relating to menstruation. When girls or women get their menstruation, they are considered to be impure. During their periods, they are restricted from entering their house and are made to live in a shed. They are not allowed to visit temples or even attend school. Although this practice was banned in 2005, it is still commonly practiced in the mid and western region of Nepal (Kara 2012).

4 The major ethnic and caste groups of Nepal are categorised into four main sub groups. While the Hindu elites (i.e. Brahmin and Chettri) are on top of the caste hierarchy, the indigenous groups so-called Janajati, the regional groups of the South plain land (Madhesi), and the untouchable (the Dalit) are at the bottom of the Hindu caste groups. Although the caste system was officially abolished in 1963, the Janajati and Dalit continue to face discrimination and social exclusion (Crawford 2010).

5 In most of the cases traffickers are arguably known/familiar to the victims of trafficking or their families (Hennink and Simkhada 2004; NHRC 2012). There is a need for more research in this area.

6 A survey found out that only 35 per cent of children aged 0–4 years old were registered; the majority of birth registration is among children living in urban areas (MoHP 2006).

Additional information

Funding

The Open Society Foundation’s Civil Society Scholar Awards 2015 (the ‘Grant’) Open Society Scholarship partially funded the field work of the doctoral research on which this article is based.