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Nepal Police have arrested 89 people on the charge of human trafficking in the period of six months of current fiscal year from July 17, 2023 till January 14, 2024. Among the arrestees, 67 are men and 22 women.

Similarly, police filed 79 cases while 149 individuals have faced prosecution during the same period. The Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau, Babarmahal has been working as a specialized unit of the Nepal Police for the prevention and control of crimes related to human trafficking.

The Bureau said 236 persons have been rescued from being trafficked in that period. Among those rescued, 150 are women, 26 are men and 60 are girls.

Nepal is the most affected from both internal and cross-border human trafficking. Nepal Police central spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General Bhim Prasad Dhakal, said a large number of Nepali fall victim to human trafficking due to the allurement of employment or illegal settlement in various countries, including in India, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, America and different European and African nations.

Ramlal (name changed) was born to a farming family in Dhanusha. He was about ten when he realized he was different from the other boys of his age. He had feminine traits and took pleasure in grooming himself to look pretty.

“I enjoyed wearing lipstick and bangles. Playing with girls brought me joy,” he says. 

Ramlal’s girly interests invited bullying and harassment not just from his contemporaries but also adults in his neighborhoods. They hurled derogatory terms like ‘chhakka’, ‘hijra’, and ‘mangmehra’ at him. Even his family members harbored feelings of embarrassment because he identified as a girl. Out of shame, his father refused to send him to school. 

“My father cursed me, often expressing regret for my birth. My younger siblings also didn’t accept me for who I was. They were resentful because they felt that I had tarnished our family’s image.” 

The only person who supported Ramlal was his mother, though she insisted on him getting married to a girl. “She thought that marriage would fix me,” says Ramlal. “Time and again, she would suggest that I get married.” 

At the time, Ramlal felt that he was the only one in the world. He tried and failed to fit in to become “normal”.  Eventually, he met some people from the LGBTIQA+ community who advised him that it was okay to get married. Ramlal agreed to this advice and got married. 

Little did he know about the problems that were coming his way. His marital life blew up after his wife learned about him. Provoked by villagers, his wife would abuse and berate him.

“The villagers used to ask my wife how she could bear a child from a transgender husband. They would even spread rumors about her having affairs,” says Ramlal. 

Out of societal pressure and taunts, Ramlal and his wife had two children, a son and a daughter. But having children didn’t stop the rumors and insults. The villagers started taunting Ramlal’s children.

“My children were told to expel me out of my home, labeling me useless due to my transgender status,” says Ramlal.

His home life was never peaceful. He and his wife used to fight constantly. His relationship with his parents was also deteriorating. All his savings were in his wife’s bank account, and his parents had transferred his inheritance under his wife’s name. 

Ramlal says he felt alone and unwanted, and even contemplated ending his life. Fortunately, he was rescued by a man from his neighboring village. He couldn’t live in the village anymore, so he decided to leave for India. 

When he reached Janakpur, Ramlal encountered someone from his village who worked at an Antiretroviral Therapy Center. Aware of his suffering, he guided Ramlal to the office of Blue Diamond Society, an LGBTIQA+ rights organization. 

Ramlal spent a week at the society office, receiving counseling and hearing about the stories of other people who had gone through similar experiences as him.

“Their empathy helped me understand that everyone in our community faces struggles, but most persist, fight against the odds and live a dignified life,” says Ramlal. 

He eventually moved to India and found himself a job at a general store. Ramlal has left his past behind, and he is happy that he did.  

“Janakpurdham’s Blue Diamond Society is my home now, and its people are my family,” he says. 

Ramlal’s family has also forgotten him, it seems. When his mother passed away three months ago, no one tried to contact him. Despite being the eldest son, he could not participate in the funeral rituals of his mother. He learned about his mother’s passing from a friend who was visiting Janakpur.

“What I have gone through I wouldn’t even wish upon my worst enemy,” says Ramlal.

Pradip Yadav, program coordinator at Blue Diamond Society, Janakpurdham, says, the real problem for most LGBTIQA+ persons starts at their homes in the forms of abuse, ignorance and non-acceptance. 

“Little has changed over the years. LGBTIQA+ individuals endure humiliation at home and they are denied education, resources, and job opportunities.” 

Even though Nepal has legally recognized LGBTIQA+ community and their rights, Yadav says the community members still face many challenges. It has been observed that the implementation of various government orders has been fragmented and lacking in tangible progress. Legal and government orders have been inconsistent and incomplete, indicating a need for more comprehensive and effective implementation strategies. 

“The core reason for their lagging behind is the denial of education, leading to failures across sectors,” says Yadav. “Majority of the LGBTIQA+ persons lack access to education; only a few reach primary or secondary levels, and a handful secure promising careers.” 

Despite our attempts, academic challenges persist for the LGBTIQA+ individuals. He says there was a resistance from Private and Boarding School's Organization Nepal  (PABSON) and National Private and Boarding Schools’ Association (NPABSON) when he requested for LGBTIQA+ representation in school committees. 

“PABSON and NPABSON were worried about society’s readiness for such an inclusion.” 

He added that advocacy for the LGBTIQA+ community faces a significant obstacle due to their political exclusion, hindering their representation in policy making spheres. The crux lies in the necessity for advocates who intimately understand the community’s struggles, particularly those grappling with their identities. 

To justify and effectively drive this advocacy, it’s imperative that individuals who have navigated similar challenges are part of the political landscape. Their presence ensures a more comprehensive and authentic approach to policy making, essential in securing the long-denied rights of the LGBTIQA+ community.

“Multiple laws were drafted in our favor. But sadly, their implementation has fallen short,” says Yadav. “The contemporary definition of minorities, for instance, excludes the LGBTIQA+ community. While Dalit, Muslim, women, and Madheshi are seen as minorities, our identity is overlooked.” 

Moreover , despite ongoing discourse about political representation, political parties often fall short in practicing inclusive policies effectively. Yadav’s personal experience of being offered a ticket from Nepali Congress under the condition of not publicly revealing his sexual orientation and identifying as male highlights the persistent challenges faced by LGBTIQA+ individuals in accessing political opportunities. 

“The ultimate solution lies in political inclusion. Without representatives from our community, advocacy for our rights remains futile,” says Yadav. “We’re just like everyone else. We’re part of this world too. Consider us as a part of the society and that will be enough for us.”

Cooking meals every day can sometimes feel as burdensome as having to do the laundry by hand because the washing machine has decided to stop spinning. If you have children and need to cook multiple meals in a day, it might feel like you spend more time in the kitchen than you do in any other room of the house. While we can’t provide you with the (house)help you need, we can give you some simple hacks that will make cooking a little less (soul-sucking and) time-consuming.

Cut your veggies

Admit it, you go out grocery shopping and come home and shove everything in the fridge or the freezer. Most of us tend to shop in bulk and then put them away till we need them. It’s a great idea to take a few minutes to sort through your veggies, chop them up, put them in resealable bags or plastic bags, and then store them in the fridge. It’s an idea we got from one of our mothers who takes mere minutes to whip up a dish because everything is chopped and ready. You just have to toss everything in the pot over a flame to cook a meal when you have readied your veggies. You will thank us for this one.

Get your spices ready

Nepali food is full of condiments and spices. You need onion, ginger, garlic, chilies, etc. to cook most, if not all, of your meals. Set aside 20 minutes, once a week, and get your masala mix ready. Wash and puree some tomatoes. Peel and chop onions, coriander, garlic, and ginger, and keep them in airtight containers in the fridge. You can also make a puree of onion, ginger, and garlic and use this paste when cooking. Trust us, this one trick will cut your cooking time by half. Not only does this tip save time, it will also keep your counters clean while cooking.

Meal prep once a week

If you plan what you want to eat, say, for a week, it will save valuable time. You don’t have to decide what to make when it’s time for lunch or dinner. So, get out a notepad, or better still buy a weekly planner and plan out your meals. Write what you will be having on which day and for which meal. Once you have that down, get the basic ingredients ready—chopped and all. Pack it in separate containers and put it in the fridge or freezer. When it’s time for a meal, all you have to do is pull out the designated box and cook what’s in it. Alternatively, you can also batch-cook your meals and freeze them.

Have some handy recipes ready

It helps to have an arsenal of simple recipes that you can rely on when you are too lazy to cook an elaborate meal. Write them down on index cards and keep them in a box on the kitchen counter or write recipes out on an A4 paper and put it up on the fridge. It helps if you can see what you can whip up in minutes. Google some simple snacks or one-pot meals and write down their recipes. BuzzFeed Tasty and YouTube also have a lot of under-15-minute recipes.

Try some tricks

Chopping, peeling, mincing, and all can take a lot of time and make cooking tedious. Use a cooling rack to quickly dice hard-boiled eggs and avocados. Put the rack over a large bowl and use a large flat metal spatula to push the food through. To peel garlic, break the head into cloves, and place them all in a metal bowl. Cover with a second bowl and shake vigorously and the garlic skins will come right off. Use tongs to juice a lemon. Slice potatoes with an apple slicer. Keep a wooden spatula over the pot while boiling pasta to keep the water from spilling over. There are many such neat tricks that you can use to make your cooking experience simpler and shorter.

A team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has found an investment-friendly environment in the energy infrastructure sector in Nepal albeit various challenges in the country's economy.

The IMF staff team, led by Tidiane Kinda, conducted a staff visit to Nepal from February 5-12, 2024, to discuss recent macroeconomic developments and the implementation of the Fund-supported program.

“Nepal’s external position continues to strengthen on the back of buoyant remittances, increasing tourism activity, subdued imports, and inflation is decreasing. Weak domestic demand, large outward migration, and low credit growth despite monetary relaxation continue to weigh on near-term economic growth. Enhancing domestic revenue mobilization and accelerating the execution of capital expenditure will provide needed support to growth while securing fiscal sustainability. Increased vigilance on banks’ asset quality and stepped-up supervisory efforts are important to preserve financial stability in view of growing non-performing loans," team leader Kinda said in a press note issued at the conclusion of their visit on Monday.

The medium-term economic outlook remains favorable, as strategic investments in infrastructure, especially in the energy sector, are expected to support potential growth. The upcoming Investment Summit presents an opportunity to showcase Nepal’s economic potential. Timely reforms to durably improve the investment climate will help take full advantage of the Summit and pave the way to stronger growth in the future.

The authorities’ ongoing efforts in meeting key commitments under the Fund-supported program, with the support of IMF’s technical assistance, are welcome. Performance under the programme will be formally assessed in the context of the fourth review of the Extended Credit Facility, which is expected to take place in the middle of the year, states the press note.

Gulde-Wolf, Deputy Director in the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, attended key meetings.

The IMF team held meetings with the Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, the Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari, the National Planning Commission Vice-Chairman Dr Min Bahadur Shrestha, and other senior government and central bank officials. The IMF team also met with representatives from the private sector and development partners.