Maiti Nepal offers vital legal support on cases involving missing girls, domestic violence, guardianship, sexual harassment, trafficking and rape. Every day, the legal team registers at least eight new cases of missing people, kick-starting a first-line response in which staff alert a vast network of contacts and distribute reports to field operatives, border surveillance teams and partners across India. This targeted approach offers the best chance of swiftly intercepting and repatriating victims to Nepal. The legal department also strives to bring justice to the exploited without fear of re-victimisation or discrimination, registering cases and pursuing compensation through the courts.

Maiti Nepal’s three prevention homes have enabled 2,000 girls to lead the fightback against human trafficking. The four-month residential programme delivers life-changing skills and trafficking awareness to 150 girls each year, which they can then implement in their own communities. The girls also receive healthcare, counselling and confidence-building classes during their stay. Equipped with greater understanding of their rights, alumni use the homes to deliver campaigns and workshops and train local workers. Crucially, emergency shelter is also provided for vulnerable women and children who have been rescued by authorities, the police and border surveillance teams.

Increasing awareness of trafficking is a fundamental part of Maiti Nepal’s approach, and staff and activists work tirelessly with vulnerable communities to guard against exploitation. Regular TV and radio appearances by representatives include Maiti Nepal’s own series on the Ujayaalo Radio Network, which reaches four million people. Outreach workshops at schools in easily-exploited suburbs include discussion and hard-hitting roleplays. Maiti Nepal also educates young women who are exploited after being duped into travelling as labour migrants. Surveillance teams at critical locations offer information to female travellers, track suspicious behaviour and assist the police. Information desks also operate at key destinations, including Tribhuvan International Airport.

The revolutionary Khoji mobile phone app uses accurate facial recognition to identify missing people. Images captured at borders are cross-checked in real time against those on Maiti Nepal’s database, with percentage-matching enabling informed decisions on surveillance team intervention. The technology also helps identify traffickers, as images of potential criminals are checked against Matai Nepal’s own intel, with police alerted to matches. Online reporting tools are used for uploading missing person reports, which become instantly available across the server and app. So far, it has proved especially effective in identifying victims who have been silenced by traffickers and those with mental health issues.

While preventing trafficking is not always possible, Maiti Nepal has dedicated surveillance teams to help police intercept victims and identify traffickers. Located at checkpoints across the Nepal-India border, teams search vehicles for missing people and track sinister activity. Largely comprising women who have been trafficked themselves, the surveillance teams regularly liberate girls from sexual servitude in brothels. Once rescued, victims are temporarily housed in one of 14 safe transit homes, located in border towns to raise local awareness. The homes provide shelter, counselling, medical treatment and educational classes, and systems are also in place to trace parents and guardians, arrange reunions and lodge criminal cases against traffickers.

Launched by Maiti Nepal’s founder in 1998, Teresa Academy provides quality education for chronically marginalised children. Lessons are taught in in 10 classes to 500 children, including orphans, the under-privileged and those at risk of trafficking. Teresa Academy is competitive with local schools, offering science and computer labs, dance and music lessons, sports and extra- curricular activities. With the majority of students living in an adjoining rehabilitation home, the academy’s staff have specialist training to care for traumatised youngsters and those with mental health issues and HIV. Many alumni have also continued studying and pursued successful careers, while others are now fully qualified teachers at the academy.

A fundamental goal of Maiti Nepal is to equip women and girls with the tools they need to live independently. As well as scholarship opportunities, residents of Maiti homes receive skills and livelihood training, and many secure paid jobs during their stay. Students at Teresa Academy are introduced to partners for further education, training and job opportunities, and to date, more than 30 have completed degrees in fields such as Hotel Management, Computer Science and Journalism. For those who do not wish to enter further education, Maiti Nepal works with recruiters to match students with alternative training and job opportunities that complement their skillsets.

As part of Maiti Nepal’s vision for cohesive care and support, an in-house health centre provides essential medical aid for residents of its rehabilitation home in Kathmandu. The clinic treats children, women and young girls, with services including health checks, screening and basic emergency treatment. With many patients suffering mental health problems, psychological care is also provided. In addition, the clinic prescribes and dispenses medicine and has its own ambulance to take patients to hospital when necessary. The health centre, which also conducts basic lab tests, has 38 beds and is supervised by a full-time doctor, five nurses and four assistants.

For survivors of trafficking and violence who are in poor health, the Sonja Kill Memorial Hospice in Kathmandu offers specialised 24-hour residential care. Providing holistic treatment which is aimed at restoring dignity, the majority of the 52 residents have HIV or AIDS, while many have mental health issues. Amenities include round-the-clock care and carefully-balanced nutritional provision, while anti-retroviral treatment and testing has helped reduce mortality rates. Meeting basic human needs, the hospice offers meals and clothing, as well as genuine companionship. On-site activities include yoga and meditation, and residents also enjoy external trips and vocational classes which can often generate a small income.

Exploitation survivors are usually severely traumatised, which makes readjusting to normal life difficult. Stigmatisated and rejected by society, even their families often disown them. To aid their social reintegration, Maiti Nepal runs rehabilitation homes in Kathmandu and Sunsari to rebuild victims’ self-esteem in a peaceful, loving environment. Providing abandoned children and victims of rape, violence and trafficking with shelter and food, the homes offer counselling and medical treatment. Essential income-generating skills are also taught, enabling victims to regain independence. Reflecting the homes’ compassionate atmosphere, many of the staff were once rescued by Maiti Nepal, and now use their experiences to help a new generation.