At a Perth Rotary lunch meeting in September this year, Darren Reynolds spoke to us about the purpose and work of Every Daughter Matters.
Every day, young women and girls are taken across the open Nepal-India border, often disappearing forever. Instead of freedom, they are trapped in brothels, subjected to violence, and stripped of their dignity. Others are forced to work in sweatshops or construction sites under bonded labour. Some are deceived into sham marriages and sold into servitude or prostitution. In the darkest cases, victims are targeted for organ harvesting.
Every day, young women and girls are taken across the open Nepal-India border, often disappearing forever. Instead of freedom, they are trapped in brothels, subjected to violence, and stripped of their dignity. Others are forced to work in sweatshops or construction sites under bonded labour. Some are deceived into sham marriages and sold into servitude or prostitution. In the darkest cases, victims are targeted for organ harvesting.
Every Daughter Matters intercepts between 100-150 young women every month! Stopping the abuse before it begins.
Darren told us that Every Daughter Matters places trained counsellors at strategic border crossings and transport hubs to identify warning signs (red flags), intervene, and rescue young women and girls in real time. They work with trusted Nepali NGO, Aashish Social Service Nepal (ASSN), local law enforcement and community leaders to bring a united response to the issue.
December 2025 Update from Darren:
Work is continuing along Nepal’s border with India as we intercept young women and children caught up in human trafficking and assist them with post-rescue care. The recent unrest and rioting across the country— which ultimately led to the overturning of the national government— did affect our frontline services. A couple of our surveillance booths were disrupted by suspected traffickers taking advantage of the chaos. This temporarily impacted our numbers during that period. However, I’m pleased to report that all booths are now fully operational and back on track.Here are the figures for 2025 as of the end of October…
Total Interceptions of Trafficked Individuals: 1,263 (Total: 4,591)
Individuals Reintegrated Back Into Community: 1,193 (Total: 3,997)
Cases Referred to Law Enforcement: 1,241 (Total: 3,905)
Individuals Accommodated in Our Shelters: 964 (Total: 3,799)
One example of a recent rescue...
Staff at one of our surveillance booths recently stopped a man and a woman about to cross into India from central Nepal. The woman was 28 years of age travelling with a gentleman who was falsely posing as her husband. They had met through social media and he had promised to take her to India with assurances of high earning employment. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the young woman's real husband was currently abroad for work and that she had a 5-year-old son who was staying with her parents. She had told her parents that she was travelling to the city in search of medical treatment but was leaving the country without informing them. Our staff were able to counsel her and helped her understand that she was being lured into India under false pretenses and contacted her family. Her older sister arrived a few days later and, in the presence of local police authorities, all legal and administrative procedures were completed and she was safely returned to her family.
Darren Reynolds
Head of Engagement | WA
Every Daughter Matters