A joint team from the Child Helpline (104) and the Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities visited the orphanage and conducted monitoring.
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The Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security has rescued 20 children after monitoring based on complaints and video materials received about the miserable condition of children in the Nepal Children's Organization.
According to the ministry, a joint team of the Children's Helpline (104) and the ministry had reached the orphanage and monitored it. During the monitoring, it was found that the cleanliness of the orphanage was very poor, the toilets and bathrooms were unclean and slippery, water was stagnant inside the building, and children of different age groups were kept in the same place. The ministry has concluded that such a situation poses a serious risk to the health and safety of children.
The ministry had been repeatedly issuing instructions at various times to improve the physical condition of the Nepal Children's Organization, manage sanitation, and organize the children's residence. The concerned parties were also called to the ministry for discussions. However, after the expected improvement was not achieved despite the instructions and requests, the ministry has stated that it has immediately initiated the rescue process by conducting on-site monitoring.
Recently, the ministry had received videos about the situation there from local stakeholders, various individuals, and some employees of the orphanage. The videos showed water pooling inside the building, poor sanitation, and a risk of spreading the epidemic. Some employees had also made the real situation of the orphanage public through social media.
Based on this, the ministry, in coordination with the Child Helpline (104), has transferred 20 children under the age of 2 to a safe place in the first phase. Among the rescued children, 12 are boys and 8 are girls. The ministry has stated that coordination is being done with the relevant agencies for their protection, health check-up, necessary care, and rehabilitation.
The ministry has stated that it has already initiated the necessary paperwork and legal work related to the incident. In addition, the ministry has stated that it will continue to assess the condition of the remaining children, keeping the best interests of the children at the center, and continue to make necessary decisions and monitoring.
