Human trafficking, false asylum claims, and related fraud involving promises to bring individuals from Nepal to Europe on seasonal visas and then route them through "donkey routes" to claim asylum—utilizing accomplices in respective European countries (such as Italy, France, Spain, or Germany)—lack adequate investigation, news coverage, and public debate. While incidents of human trafficking and international fraud spanning from America to Cambodia are frequently publicized and covered repeatedly by the media in recent times, similar incidents concerning travel to Europe do not receive the same level of thorough investigation, news dissemination, or public discourse.
Such activities have allegedly persisted for a long time, and these networks remain active through various means even through 2024, 2025, and 2026. If Nepal expands its labor approvals to additional European countries in the future, it is necessary to remain vigilant against the risk that human trafficking syndicates might further exploit these opportunities. While it is essential to encourage legal labor migration, failing to timely control brokers and organized networks seeking to turn it into a vehicle for illegal immigration or fraudulent asylum claims could plunge many Nepalis into severe economic, legal, and social crises.
Some members of these networks are already well-established and entrenched in those destination countries, engaging in activities such as facilitating arrival, arranging accommodation, teaching how to file asylum applications, assisting in preparing false details, and even making or attempting to make forged documents. Likewise, they take commissions by promising to place undocumented individuals in Nepali or Indian parlors and other businesses, and they have become increasingly proactive in turning this into a business tied to human trafficking and illegal immigration. If such multi-level broker networks truly span actively from Nepal to Europe, the heaviest blow is borne by honest Nepalis who wish to go abroad by abiding by the law. Even Nepalis attempting to travel abroad legally at their own expense are forced to face unnecessary suspicion, strict checks, and various hardships. The illegal activities of a few individuals have negatively impacted the reputation of the entire Nepali community.
Therefore, impartial, in-depth, and evidence-based investigations into these accused networks are necessary. Only by reaching the roots of the organized crime and human trafficking network extending from Nepal to Europe and bringing the culprits to justice based on evidence can such crimes be effectively controlled. Otherwise, the risk remains that the impact of the illegal activities of a limited few will continue to weigh heavily upon the reputation of the entire Nepali community and ordinary Nepali citizens traveling abroad through legal channels.
