The brutal kidney trade in Nepal

‘Nepal’s Organ Trail: A CNN Freedom Project Documentary’ highlights the brutal and exploitative organ trade in Nepal which sees the trafficking of impoverished and ignorant villagers as unwitting kidney donors. CNN International Correspondent Sumnima Udas investigates the plight of these trafficked victims who live with severe health complications and the threat of premature death looms large, pushing their impoverished families further into the cycle of poverty and exploitation.“Organ trafficking is a barbaric trade that destroys the lives of not just an individual, but the entire family,” said Tony Maddox, Executive Vice President and Managing Director for CNN International. “This was a story that needed to be told, and we are dedicating ourselves to highlight this inhuman practice so a change can be brought about.”The documentary follows the organ trail which begins from the villages of the remote Kavre district in Nepal where villagers are trafficked on pretexts ranging from false job offers to promises of large sums of money for a ‘chunk’ of their body which they are told will ‘grow back’. At the other end of the trail, ailing and desperate patients await kidney transplants which could potentially save their lives. A perfect storm of poverty, desperation and loopholes in the government machinery allow traffickers to continue this exploitative cycle and make handsome profits at the cost of acute human suffering. The trafficked victims are left in a pitiable state. In the words of one victim, he is “just counting my days to die” while holding on to the hope that “the government will take care of my children.”

The half-hour documentary also highlights the efforts of government agencies, anti-trafficking organisations like The Forum For Protection Of People’s Rights and medical organisations to combat the trade. The Nepal government is issuing more stringent counter measures to prevent forgery of documents, hospitals are putting in place measures like DNA testing to prove the biological relationship between donors and recipients and anti-trafficking organisations are working hard to educate vulnerable villagers. While there is still a long journey ahead, activists express the hope that “if all the stakeholders contribute, this problem will be resolved.”
‘Nepal’s Organ Trail: A CNN Freedom Project Documentary’ airs on (Nepal Standard Time):
Monday, June 30 at 9:15AM and 2:15PM
Tuesday, July 1 at 10:15PM
Wednesday, July 2 at 11:00AM

Related links:
Cnn.com/freedom
facebook.com/cnnfreedom
twitter.com/cnnfreedom

About The CNN Freedom Project
The CNN Freedom Project produces original reports, articles, and documentaries on human trafficking in all of its forms – from debt bondage in India to sex trafficking rings in Southern California and African slaves in the Sinai desert. In addition, the production team curates digital resources with information on global advocacy groups working against human slavery. Users of www.cnn.com/freedom can find details on how to support or volunteer with anti-slavery organizations, watch CNN Freedom Project videos, and read in-depth articles and behind-the-scenes reporters’ notebook stories from the journalists reporting for CNN Freedom Project investigations. The CNN Freedom Project has generated more than 300 stories of modern-day slavery from across five continents.  Lisa Cohen and Leif Coorlim produce for the CNN Freedom Project, which is overseen by CNN’s senior vice president of global relations Parisa Khosravi. Many notable figures in the fight against human trafficking have partnered with the CNN Freedom Project since its launch, including Nick Cannon, Common, Emmanuel Jal, Anil Kapoor, Steve McQueen, Demi Moore, and Mira Sorvino.

About CNN International
CNN’s portfolio of news and information services is available in five different languages across all major TV, internet and mobile platforms reaching more than 380 million households around the globe, including over 53 million across the Asia Pacific region. CNN International, awarded “News Channel of the Year” by the Royal Television Society in 2013 and 2014, is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region and Latin America. The CNN digital network is consistently one of the top news and current affairs destination on the web. CNN has 42 editorial offices and more than 1,100 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company. Get the latest social media updates from CNN at:facebook.com/cnninternational  and @cnnasiapr