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Possibility of child trafficking soars high in Nepal following great earthquake

Xinhua, June 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least 245 children have been intercepted from being trafficked and unnecessarily or illegally placed in children's care homes since the first earthquake of April 25 in Nepal, said UNICEF today.

"UNICEF feared a surge in trafficking cases after the two earthquakes," said Tomoo Hozumi, UNICEF Nepal Representative in a press release.

"Loss of livelihoods and worsening living conditions may allow traffickers to easily convince parents to give their children up for what they are made to believe will be a better life. The traffickers promise education, meals and a better future. But the reality is that many of those children could end up being horrendously exploited and abused."

Trafficking was rife in Nepal even before the April 25 earthquake, with an estimated 12,000 Nepalese children trafficked to India every year, according to a 2001 International Labor Organization's study.

After disasters such as earthquakes, there is a risk that trafficking will increase.

Currently, UNICEF is collaborating with the Ministry of Women Children and Social Welfare and Child Welfare Board, as well as the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Nepal Police and the Department of Immigration to mitigate risk of trafficking through policy measures and direct response.

Prior to the Nepal earthquake, approximately 15,000 children lived in child care homes in Nepal, and were potentially at risk of poorly-regulated adoption, exploitation and abuse. "To re-build damaged rural communities and keep families together is the best way to help children in Nepal recover from the earthquake," Mr. Hozumi added. Endi