U.S. Ambassador Peter W. Bodde visited the Maiti Nepal check post at the Nepal-India border crossing in Rupandehi on September 11 in order to support the fight against trafficking in persons. During the visit, the Ambassador spoke with Maiti Nepal border monitors who told him that the Nepal Police’s strong support makes their job easier.
“We all must join hands to fight
this modern-day slavery. Every country in the world has this challenge that we must
defeat… I am signifying my continuing advocacy in the aggressive campaign in
trafficking in persons fight,” he said.
Trafficking in persons is a
worldwide social problem whose dimensions go beyond both national and sectorial
contexts. In many areas the problem is associated primarily with the economic
and political changes in the countries, and with the lack of economic prospects
in developing countries and the emerging flashpoints of crisis in various parts
of the world. Established social and cult differences enhance the diversity of
views on this issue and of approaches to dealing with this phenomenon.
Nevertheless, the international
community has defined several forms taken by slavery exploitation in the 21st
century. There is also a growing awareness of the dangers posed to modern
society by this phenomenon of violation against fundamental human rights and
freedoms. The fact that this is no new phenomenon is clear from the history of
international documents seeking to deal with the problem of trafficking in
persons, so far.
The efforts of the majority of
international organizations in the fight against trafficking in persons are
geared towards standardizing national legislation on preventing, suppressing
and punishing trafficking in persons, and towards assistance for the victims of
this phenomenon.
Peter W. Bodde is the United
States Ambassador to Nepal. Before coming to Nepal he served as the
Assistant Chief of Mission for Assistance Transition, U.S. Embassy Baghdad.
He served as the United States Ambassador to Malawi from 2008 to 2010.
Prior to that assignment, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the
U.S. Embassy in Islamabad from 2006.
Maiti Nepal is a Nepali
anti-human trafficking and women’s
rights NGO, specializing in preventing trafficking and rehabilitating
trafficked girls and women. It recently completed work on a $500,000
grant awarded by the U.S. Department of State to assist trafficking victims and
support safe migration.
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