Ayushman Bhagat & Sunita Mainali

Cases of Nepalis, especially young people, being smuggled across international borders, primarily to countries such as the United States and Russia, are making headlines. As media outlets, activists, scholars and human rights organisations raise the alarm, Nepal must protect its youth by introducing anti-smuggling legislation. However, while the dangers of these precarious journeys are undeniable, implementing new anti-smuggling laws could deepen the crisis rather than solve it.

To understand why Nepal’s anti-smuggling legislation could have unintended consequences for its youth, we need to turn to the Palermo Protocols, a set of three international agreements adopted by the United Nations in 2000. These protocols define and distinguish key transnational organised crimes: Trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants and arms trafficking.
https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2025/01/17/why-an-anti-smuggling-law-is-problematic