Nepal was embroiled in a civil war from 1996-2006, with the Maoist
rebels fighting for control of the country against a long-standing
monarchy. In April of 2006 the King was overthrown following several
weeks of violent protests, and the Maoists entered the government as a
recognized political party. During the war, over 12,000 people were
killed and between 100-150,000 were internally displaced.
The country is among the poorest and least developed in the world, both economically and in terms of infrastructure, ranking near the bottom in almost every major category. Half the country lives below the poverty line, earning less than $1.25 per day, and unemployment rates hover around fifty percent.
As usual, children are the most widely effected by both the poverty and violence. Two-thirds of children in Nepal are underweight and one-half have stunted growth due to malnutrition. Nepal has the highest early mortality rate in the region.
Poor, rural families are giving the "opportunity", for a price, to send their children to the city for an education. Traffickers take the fee, and the children, but then abandon them on the streets, force them into begging rings, or sell them as slaves. Nepal child rights organizations estimate that there are currently around 15,000 children living in orphanages in the city, although these numbers are difficult to keep track of, as many of the orphanages are not registered or regulated by the government. Kathmandu Valley has one of the highest densities of orphanages in the world. Many of these orphanages are exploiting the children who suffer torture, sexual abuse, begging duty on the street, one meal a day, no treatment when they fall sick, and no schooling. 4,000 children are estimated to live in sub-standard conditions in orphanages. Children are found severely malnourished. Horrible stories of torture are told. There is even one documented case of an orphanage being founded and run by foreign pedophiles.
Institutionalization is a 19th century solution. It is never the preferred way to care for a needy child. Unregulated it can be dangerous, leading to much worse care the the child ever would have received in their family of origin. Nepali children deserve an opportunity to return to their parents or have another permanent family. They deserve support within their communities. And they deserve to live in loving temporary families in the meantime.
Source: CIA World Factbook, Terre des Homme, UNICEF
The country is among the poorest and least developed in the world, both economically and in terms of infrastructure, ranking near the bottom in almost every major category. Half the country lives below the poverty line, earning less than $1.25 per day, and unemployment rates hover around fifty percent.
As usual, children are the most widely effected by both the poverty and violence. Two-thirds of children in Nepal are underweight and one-half have stunted growth due to malnutrition. Nepal has the highest early mortality rate in the region.
Poor, rural families are giving the "opportunity", for a price, to send their children to the city for an education. Traffickers take the fee, and the children, but then abandon them on the streets, force them into begging rings, or sell them as slaves. Nepal child rights organizations estimate that there are currently around 15,000 children living in orphanages in the city, although these numbers are difficult to keep track of, as many of the orphanages are not registered or regulated by the government. Kathmandu Valley has one of the highest densities of orphanages in the world. Many of these orphanages are exploiting the children who suffer torture, sexual abuse, begging duty on the street, one meal a day, no treatment when they fall sick, and no schooling. 4,000 children are estimated to live in sub-standard conditions in orphanages. Children are found severely malnourished. Horrible stories of torture are told. There is even one documented case of an orphanage being founded and run by foreign pedophiles.
Institutionalization is a 19th century solution. It is never the preferred way to care for a needy child. Unregulated it can be dangerous, leading to much worse care the the child ever would have received in their family of origin. Nepali children deserve an opportunity to return to their parents or have another permanent family. They deserve support within their communities. And they deserve to live in loving temporary families in the meantime.
Source: CIA World Factbook, Terre des Homme, UNICEF
