Lack of safe housing for children affected by violence

Stakeholders have also appealed for assistance as there is a shortage of safe shelters to house children who have been rescued from violence.

पुस ५, २०८२

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Lack of safe housing for children affected by violence

What you should know

Various branches of the Nepal Police and concerned bodies working in the valley have expressed concern over the shortage of safe shelters for children who have been rescued and subjected to various forms of violence. They have also requested for assistance as they are facing problems in arranging for their shelter.

Member Secretary of the National Council for Child Rights Indradevi Dhakal stressed the need for arranging safe housing for children. She said that everyone should pay attention to making the investigation of complaints related to children in legal disputes child-friendly.

Member Secretary Dhakal said, 'Safe housing for children and adolescents who are victims of violence and suffering after their rescue is essential. We are talking to the ministry about this, at least one safe housing home is needed in each province. We will talk to the newly appointed minister about this.'

Stating that most cases of violence caused by family and relatives are not being prosecuted and there are problems in resolving them internally, she said that even though one juvenile correctional home was added in Nuwakate in nine years, there is still a need for more correctional homes, so this issue will also be discussed with the minister. Bimala Gyawali, the chairperson of the Civil Rights Council, who has been working for the protection of child rights for the past 31 years, emphasized that the law enforcement agencies should be empowered to resolve the problems of pressure faced by children when they are subjected to violence and provide justice to the victims.

She pointed out that human rights, sensitivity and psychological aspects should be kept at the center while investigating incidents against children, saying, "We should work with the understanding that no child is safe if even a single child is subjected to any kind of abuse or violence on the streets." Ram Bahadur Chand, Information Officer of the National Council for Child Rights, pointed out that there should be no pressure to implement the law.

He informed about legal research, the Children's Act-2075, the rights of victimized children, the provision of favorable justice, etc. Police Inspector Mahendra Aryal of the Nepal Police Criminal Investigation School said that children are afraid to go to the police after filing a complaint, saying that the police should have a good relationship with children.

Dinesh Ghimire, Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Investigation Center, and police officers from the Women's Cell working in various police offices in Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Lalitpur said that there is a lack of safe housing for children who are victims of violence after being rescued.

Santosh Adhikari of Child Search and Rescue Center 104 urged people to report incidents of violence and street children at any time due to the lack of places to keep them. Ruja Pokharel, team leader of the Civil Protection Agency, emphasized the need to investigate child-centered incidents using child-friendly procedures.

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