Minister Badi informed that the amendment process has been taken forward to amend the Children's Act, 2075 BS in a timely manner.
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Minister for Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security Sita Badi has expressed her commitment to develop juvenile correctional homes in various parts of the country as reform, education and rehabilitation centers.
Speaking at the meeting of the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee under the House of Representatives held at Singha Durbar on Sunday, Minister Badi said that juvenile correctional homes should not be kept as places of punishment only. According to her, there are currently 10 juvenile correctional homes operating across the country in Bhaktapur, Morang, Parsa, Hetauda, Kaski, Rupandehi, Banke (Jayandu and Naubasta), Doti and Nuwakot. Although the total capacity of these correctional homes is 1,085, 1,195 children are currently dependent on them.
She also informed that the four correctional homes, which were being managed by an NGO (UCEP Nepal) until some time ago, have been brought under the full control of the government since 17th of last year. According to her, the main challenges in most reform homes are the overcrowding of children, lack of child-friendly physical infrastructure, and inadequate security arrangements. Stating that the food and expenses allocated for children (80 rupees and 700 grams of rice per day) are the same as those of prisoners and do not meet the nutritional needs of growing children, she informed that coordination is being done with the Home and Finance Ministries to increase ration and nutrition expenses. She said that all children have been provided with health insurance for health treatment and additional posts of health workers have been added for primary care.
Admitting that there is a problem in security and protection when people who have reached the age of 18 are kept with young children as per the Children's Act, 2075, Minister Badi said that separate arrangements have been made for those above the age of 18 in Nuwakot and Naubasta in Banke. There is a legal provision for deploying Nepal Police without weapons and uniforms in the security arrangements inside the reform homes, but sometimes there is a problem of children disobeying plainclothes police during protests and clashes.
Stating that the government has given high priority to improving the quality of juvenile correctional homes, Minister Badi said that the under-construction correctional home in Dhakaltar, Tanahun has reached the final stage and budget has been allocated for the establishment of a new correctional home in Karnali Province. She informed that the amendment process has been taken forward to amend the Children's Act, 2075 BS in a timely manner.
