1. Scenario of Human Trafficking on Nepal & Bhutan Borders
Sashastra Seema Bal(SSB)

2. Introduction SSB is guarding Indo-Nepal & Indo-Bhutan Borders.
Nepal is source and India is destination/ transit hub.
Bhutan is both source and destination country. However, the number of trafficking cases are not as high as compared to Nepal.
Trafficking is an organized crime which violates all principles of human dignity and rights.
Human Trafficking is getting more and more organized everyday.
Contd/-…

3. The cases of human trafficking have significantly increased after the devastating earthquake in Nepal.

4. Deployment of SSB on INB & IBB
SSB is guarding 1751 kms Indo-Nepal and 699 kms Indo-Bhutan border covering 30 districts of UK, UP, Bihar, WB, Assam & Arunachal Pradesh.
No restriction on trans-border movement of the nationals of either side.
Formations
Bn on Border
Ranikhet Ftr 06
Lucknow Ftr 08
Patna Ftr 10
Siliguri Ftr 09
Guwahati Ftr 07
Tezpur Ftr 05
Total 45
Contd/-…

5. INDO-NEPAL BORDER N E P A L LUCKNOW PATNA N Kathmandu
X x N
FTR Hqrs
3+1 Partial 11 X
DIDIHAT 55 X
ALMORA
PITHORAGARH
SHQs
X x 9
Darchula 5
CHAMPAWAT
RANIKHET
Baitadi
Ops Bns 57 29
U.S. NAGAR
Dadeldhura 26
Reserve Bns 2
Kanchanpur
Kailali 39
PILIBHIT X 3
N E P A L
Bardia 59 7
PALIA 62 X
Banke
Dang
YUKSAM
LAKHIMPUR KHERI
NANPARA
Kapilvastu 9
Rupendehi
Navalparasi
Kathmandu
Taplejung 52 50 2 21
Chitwan
GANGTOK X
BHINGA 1
BAHRAICH-I & II
BAGHA 27 13 19
BALRAMPUR
Parsa
MAHARAJGANJ
Rautahat
GEYZING
Bara
Mahottarai 20
Panchtap
Sarlahi
KHAPRAIL
UTTAR PRADESH
UTRAULA
Dhanusa 51 14 28
SIDHARTHNAGAR- I &II
WEST CHAMPARAN
Sirha 35 18
Illam 29 56 X
Saptari
Sunsari
Morang
RANIDANGA 41 X
Jhapa
NARKATIAGANJ
X x
RAMGARUA
SITAMARHI- I & II
GORAKHPUR 36 X
JAYNAGAR 4
MADHUBANI
ARARIA
BIRPUR
LUCKNOW
THAKURGANJ 12
BETTIAH
RAJNAGAR
BATHNAHA
KISHANGANJ X
X x X
MUZAFFARPUR 40
District (India) - 20
District (Nepal) -26
PURNEA
PATNA
B I H A R
Not to Scale 5

6. INDO-BHUTAN BORDER B H U T A N Guwahati C H I N A N Nathula Tezpur
Tawang-I
NORTH SIKKIM
TAWANG
YANGTSE
Nathula
Dirang 38
WEST KAMENG
Thimpu
B H U T A N
YANGTSETR
ASHIGANG 30
EAST SIKKIM
Rupa/Shergaon
SAMCHI
ZHEMGANG
SAMDRUP JONGKHAR
Balemu
CHHUKHA
GEYLEGPHUG
Bhairabkunda
DARJEELING 61 10
Malbazar
LALPOOL
Tezpur
Siliguri
CHIRANG 23
KOKRAJHAR
RANGIA
UDALGURI
X x X 17 X
Falakata 53 34 X
Simlabari
Alipurdwar
Kajalgaon
DARRANG
Gosaigaon 31 15
Howly 16 X
Bijni 54 32
JALPAIGURI
X x
Barama (At Rangia) 37
Mangaldoi
KOKRAJHAR
Adabari 33
KAMRUP
X x
1+1 partial
FTR Hqrs
Rangia-i
X x X
SHQs 4
Guwahati 22
Ops Bns 15
Reserve Bns 1
District (India)
District (Bhutan)- 07
Not to Scale 6

7. Important Routes of Human Trafficking
Indo-Nepal Border
Mahendranagar-Banbasa
Dhangarhi-Palia
Nepalganj-Rupediah
Krishnanagar-Barhni,
Bhairhawa-Sonauli,
Maheshpur- Thoothibari,
Birganj-Raxaul
Biratnagar-Jogbani
Kakervita-Panitanki.
Indo-Bhutan Border
Phuentsholing (Bhutan) and Jaigaon (India) mainly serve as transit routes for trafficked victims on IBB.
Contd/-…

8. Human Trafficking routes
Banbasa
Human Trafficking routes
UTTRAKHAND
Pithoragarh
Mahendranagar
Darchula
N E P A L
Baitadi
Champawat
Dadeldhura
U S Nagar
Kanchanpur
Nepalganj
Biratnagar
Kailali
Pilibhit
Beharwa
Bardia
Lakhimpur Kheri
Banke
Dang
Birganj
Kapilvastu
Rupendehi
Navalparasi
Taplejung
E District
Bahraich
Chitwan
Sarawasti
Kakarbhitta
Balrampur
Parsa
W District
Rautahat
Bara
Sarlahi
Mahottarai
Panchtap
Sidharth Nagar
Maharajganj
W Champaran
Dhanusa
Illam
Sirha
Darjeeling
Saptari
Sunsari
Morang
Jhapa
Rupidiha
Supaul
Lucknow
E Champaran
Madhubani
Araria
Sanauli
Kishanganj
UTTAR PRADESH
Naxalbari
Gorakhpur
Raxual
W. BENGAL
INDIA
Darbhanga
Jogbani
B I H A R
PATNA
Kolkata 8

9. Human Trafficking routes
C H I N A
NORTH SIKKIM
YANGTSE
Nathula
Phuentsholing
Arunachal
Pradesh
TAWANG
Thimpu
DIRANG
B H U T A N
WEST KAMENG HA
YANGTSETR
ASHIGANG
EAST SIKKIM
BHAIRABKUND
SAMCHI
ZHEMGANG
SAMDRUP JONGKHAR
CHHUKHA
GEYLEGPHUG
DARJEELING
MALBAZAR
JALPAIGURI
KOKRAJHAR
CHIRANG
UDALGURI
TEZPUR
HOWLY
BAKSA
ALIPURDUAR
DARRANG
Jaigaon
GOSSAIGAON
MONGALDOI
BONGAIGAON
West Bengal
Assam 9 9

10. Modus-operandi
Traffickers operating on Indo-Nepal border target poor and innocent by alluring them of better job opportunities and marriage assurances.
The traffickers operate under the garb of marriage bureaus, placement agencies.
Old and incapacitated sex workers act as agents for Human Traffickers when they return home.
Victims are normally picked from poverty stricken villages.
Victims are mostly from communities of Tharus, Magars, Gurungs, Tamangs, Rais, Dorjis etc.
Contd/-…

11. Mostly trafficked women are between the age group of 16 years to 30 years and children from 10 years to 16 years.
From their villages, victims are first taken to Kathmandu and thereafter to border towns in Nepal like Birganj, Kakarbhitta, Bhairawaha, Mahendernagar, Krishnanagar, Nepalganj, Pashupatinagar and Biratnagar. Then they travel by bus or by train to various destinations in India like Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi or even to smaller cities.
Girls from the Terai and eastern Nepal are usually taken directly to the border towns.
Contd/-…

12. Traffickers/victims have pseudo names with false identity.
It is mostly the victims who come in catch-net. The traffickers maintain distance and melt out.
They normally cross the border in ones and twos on foot and then take a taxi/bus on other side of border.
The victims are never given the correct route and destination.
Frequent changes in modus-operandi by the traffickers.

13. Process of Identification and Apprehension by SSB
Suspicion
Activities
Intelligence
Interrogation
Information from the NGOs
SSB has no investigation power, the victims /traffickers are handed over to State Police in presence of NGOs.

14. Efforts of SSB in checking the menace of Human Trafficking
Indo-Nepal Border
Year
Cases
Traffickers
arrested
Victims
rescued
2012 08 07 72
2013 14 19
108
2014 33
2015
(till date) 54 71
206
Contd/-…

15. Cases after earthquake
Year
Cases
Traffickers arrested
Victims rescued
2015
(before earthquake) 08 12 47
[after earthquake (25/04/2015) till date] 46 59
159
After the earthquake, SSB rescued 104 male children and 55 women.
Reports show that most of the victims belong to Dhading, Sindhupalchowk, Gorkha, Sindhuli, Lamjung, Syangja and Nuwakot districts(Nepal).
Contd/-…

16. Indo-Bhutan Border
Year
Cases
Traffickers
arrested
Victims
rescued
2012 03 04 06
2013 08 09
2014 05 02 15
2015 26
Inter-state trafficking from remote villages of Assam, West Bengal and Sikkim to the cities like Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai has been reported.
Contd/-…

17. Bhutan is both source and destination country
Bhutan is both source and destination country. However, the number of trafficking cases are not as high as compared to Nepal and India.
Boys and Girls are trafficked from Thimphu, Dagana and other parts of Bhutan to India.
Indian women from Assam, W.B. are being trafficked to Bhutanese bordering towns of Phuentsholing, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar for sex work/domestic help.

18. How is SSB addressing HT
SSB conduct constant vigil by way of regular Patrolling, Nakas and Checking.
SSB work in tandem with NGOs active in the field of Human Trafficking along Indo-Nepal border like Prayas, Maiti Nepal, Manav Seva Sansthan, REEDS, KI & Shakti Bahini etc.
Outreach volunteers and SSB personnel at cross border transit point.
Contd/-…

19. Continuous training and sensitization of SSB personnel
Capacity building of SSB personnel on migration and human trafficking with the help of local police and the NGOs
Contd/-…

20. Issue of Human Trafficking is an important agenda of the home Secretaries’ level talk between India and Nepal.
The issue of Human trafficking is taken up in various level co- ordination between India and Nepal.
Chiefs of APF & SSB
Contd/-…

21. International Seminar on Human Trafficking at Delhi in Dec, 2014.
Perception Management programme being carried out by SSB to create awareness among the border population.
International Seminar on Human Trafficking at Delhi in Dec, 2014.
Organised Indo-Bhutan border strengthening workshop on countering Human Trafficking & smuggling of migrants with UNODC at Ftr. Siliguri.
Seminar on Human Trafficking- International Ramifications
Contd/-…

22. Conduct of Village level meetings by SSB BOPs to sensitize the border population about Human Trafficking.
Contd/-…

23. SSB has introduced plainclothes “Interaction Teams” on the borders
SSB has introduced plainclothes “Interaction Teams” on the borders. Keeping in view the friendly relations with Nepal and Bhutan these interaction teams, which include women personnel, are initially deployed at nine crossing points on Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders, to reflect the people friendly face of the Force. These men and women personnel have been trained in soft skills in addition to border security related skills.
Contd/-…

24. A four digit Toll-Free No. 1903 has been introduced.
Contd/-…

25. Intelligence sharing with various stakeholders on the border.
Data bank with photographs etc. of Traffickers of both India and Nepal and sharing the details during the co-ordination meeting.
Participation of SSB officers in Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) meetings of border districts.

26. Difficulties being faced by SSB
Open & porous border. It is very difficult to manage the cross border movement of each and every person.
Lack of real time co-ordination between various stakeholders.
Non availability of Shelter Homes and Rehabilitation Centres at certain places.
Difficulties being faced by SSB in providing food, shelter etc.to the intercepted victims.
No feed back system on follow up action from State authorities available.

27. Recommendations
The response to trafficking requires simultaneous attention and action by various agencies like Police, Women and Child Development Department of State Governments, Prosecutors, Counselors, NGOs, etc.
Institutionalizing cohesion, coordination among SSB, State Police and NGOs.
Mechanism to share real time information between India & Nepal through quickest means.
Creating stay homes at vulnerable entry points. Messing facilities till return to home or finding rehabilitation.
Contd/…

28. AHTUs should be made pro-active in detecting Human Trafficking cases.
NGOs, SSB to carry out their perception management to raise concern of people in border areas to be more vigilant and concerned.
Formation of Joint Task Force (JTF) on vulnerable points; consisting of SSB/APF (Nepal), State Police /NGOs of both countries.
AHTUs should be made pro-active in detecting Human Trafficking cases.
Formation of village committee to detect the cases.
Village level meetings should be conducted to create the awareness against HT among the masses.
Village Panchayats need to be sensitized about Human Trafficking.
Contd/…

29. Awareness Programmes should be organised in schools to sensitize teachers and students against HT.
Case Studies on Human Trafficking should be prepared and circulated among all stakeholders.
Technical surveillance gadgets such as CCTV should be installed at vulnerable places.
Drivers and conductors of State Transport Department are required to be put through sensitization training on HT.
Contd/…

30. Publicity against HT through Posters, Banners, Hoardings and CDs should be arranged in co- ordination with NGOs and Welfare Department of State Government.
Since number of victims are trafficked from border areas. All Border Guarding Forces (BGFs) to be mandated by Govt. of India to help in restoration of the victims to their homes.
BGFs also be mandated for awareness generation programme about Human Trafficking in Civic Action Programme (CAP).

32. Thanks