Human Trafficking in Bhutan

Human trafficking in Bhutan encompasses forced labor, domestic servitude, and sex trafficking occurring both within the country and across its porous border with India. Bhutan's first documented trafficking case was recorded in 2007, involving a girl from Darjeeling trafficked into domestic servitude in Thimphu. Since then, the U.S. Department of State's annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report has consistently placed Bhutan on Tier 2, indicating that the government does not fully meet minimum standards for eliminating trafficking but is making significant efforts. The government enacted the Anti-Human Trafficking Act in 2011 and established an Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, though enforcement capacity, victim identification, and prosecution remain limited.

Forms of Trafficking

Domestic Servitude and Forced Labor

Domestic servitude is one of the most commonly identified forms of trafficking in Bhutan. Bhutanese children and adults, particularly from rural areas, have been subjected to forced domestic work in urban households, sometimes under conditions of debt bondage. Migrant workers from India employed in Bhutan's construction sector have also been identified as vulnerable to forced labor, working long hours under exploitative conditions with limited recourse to legal protection.

In 2024, the government identified 62 victims of forced labor, a significant increase from eight trafficking victims identified in 2023. This increase was attributed in part to improved identification methods rather than necessarily an increase in trafficking prevalence.^[1]

Sex Trafficking

Sex trafficking has been documented both within Bhutan and across borders. Before their permanent closure, drayangs (entertainment establishments featuring singing and dancing) were identified as sites where women and girls were vulnerable to exploitation. Some drayang workers, often recruited from rural areas, reportedly signed contracts they could not read or access, and some drayang owners were accused of forcing girls into prostitution with customers under threat of physical abuse.^[2]

Indian women from West Bengal and Assam have been trafficked into Bhutanese border towns — primarily Phuentsholing, Gelephu, and Samdrup Jongkhar — for sexual exploitation. The open border between Bhutan and India, which allows free movement of Indian and Bhutanese nationals, facilitates cross-border trafficking.

Cross-Border Trafficking

Since 2007, cases have been recorded of children trafficked from various parts of Bhutan to India and, in some cases, onward to Nepal. Bhutanese women have been trafficked abroad for labor exploitation, including cases involving Bhutanese women subjected to forced labor in Oman and Iraq. In one notable case, Bhutanese women were exploited in domestic servitude in Mumbai, leading to investigations and eventual convictions in 2021.^[3]

Legal Framework

The Anti-Human Trafficking Act of 2011 criminalized most forms of human trafficking and established penalties for traffickers. However, the U.S. TIP Report has noted that Bhutan's trafficking laws did not, as of the 2024 reporting period, criminalize all forms of child sex trafficking, leaving legal gaps in protection for minors.

The Penal Code of Bhutan also contains provisions related to trafficking, including offenses of slavery, servitude, and forced labor. Courts have the authority to award restitution to trafficking victims, and in some cases have done so.

Government Response

The Royal Bhutan Police operates an Anti-Human Trafficking Unit within its Women and Child Protection Division. The National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC) serves as the coordinating body for anti-trafficking efforts. A National Task Force on trafficking was established to coordinate government responses.

U.S. TIP Report Assessments

Bhutan has been rated at Tier 2 in the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report for multiple consecutive years. The 2024 report noted positive efforts including increased investigations, convictions, victim identification, and court-ordered restitution. However, it also identified persistent weaknesses: police and judicial officials continued to lack understanding of human trafficking, the government did not report referring victims to services during one reporting period, and legal gaps in child sex trafficking provisions remained.^[4]

Key recommendations from the TIP Report have included: amending laws to criminalize all forms of child sex trafficking, increasing training for law enforcement and judges, developing formal victim identification and referral procedures, and providing direct services or funding for trafficking victims.

Challenges

Several structural factors complicate anti-trafficking efforts in Bhutan. The open border with India, while facilitating trade and movement, also enables cross-border trafficking with minimal checkpoints. Bhutan's small population and limited law enforcement resources constrain investigative capacity. Cultural norms around domestic labor, particularly the use of child domestic workers from rural families, blur the line between traditional practices and trafficking. Awareness of trafficking as a distinct crime remains low among the general public, law enforcement, and judiciary.^[5]

See Also

• Women in Bhutanese Politics
• Bhutan-India Relations
• Labor Rights in Bhutan
• Human Rights in Bhutan
• Violence and Human Rights Abuses Against the Lhotshampa
• Helping Hands: Health & Human Services, America
• UNDP Human Development Reports: Bhutan
• United States Department of State Human Rights Reports on Bhutan

References

1. 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report: Bhutan — U.S. Department of State
2. 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report: Bhutan — U.S. Department of State
3. Bhutan: Working against human trafficking — UNODC (2013)
4. 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report: Bhutan — U.S. Department of State
5. 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report: Bhutan — U.S. Department of State
6. Human Trafficking Situation in Bhutan report — NCWC