Pashupatinagar, Illam

The eastern hilly district of Ilam is a place of explicit beauty. Ilam is rich for its natural beauty and quite developed in political, economic, religious and educational field.

The flesh trade of selling girls is becoming voluminous and spreading like epidemic each day and began to outbreak in Ilam too. This is markedly demonstrated by the various manifestations of the complaints registered in police stations and district court of Ilam.

The district of Ilam lies in the Eastern Development region. It is a part of Mechi zone and adjoins the districts of Panchathar to the North, Morang to the South West, Jhapa to the South. It covers an area of 1703 Sq. Kms and consists of 47 Village Development Committee and 1 Municipality. 

The population is listed as 290082 of which 144066 are female. Population density is 458 per sq. km while the adult literacy rate is 52.5%. Ilam borders with the Indian state, West Bengal in the North. This area is particularly high-risk area as India and Nepal shares an open border and there are different smaller routes leading to India. 

The open border and regular flow of people from both sides, has created a conducive environment for trafficking. There are no documentation procedures and system of proper identification for nationals of both the sides of the border; this has made it easy for pimps to abscond with girls. 

Besides this, the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, the Government of Nepal have identified the district of Ilam as High-risk area. Thus Ilam is a potential point where little vigilance and have significant payoffs. 

Locating a surveillance team here provides opportunities to work closely together with the border police and to quickly respond to request for assistance by actual or even potential victims. Potential victims can be intercepted, traffickers can be identified and apprehended and ensured safe channel back to their families and villages.

Maiti Nepal had been conducting community sensitisation against girl trafficking in the district of Ilam since March 2001. During this tenure people of Ilam had requested Maiti Nepal to open transit home and provide services to children and girls.

Taking the situation in consideration, on August 2001 Maiti Nepal established a transit home in Pashupatinagar, Ilam.