Introduction of Nepali children

Nepal is an underdeveloped country suffering from many socio-economic problems and many years of political instability. Therefore it lacks the resources to provide social protection to its citizens. Women, children and other marginalized groups face a lot of social and economic difficulties in their lives. Thousands of children live on the streets of Kathmandu, millions work as child labourers and many millions more are without education and healthcare. Beyond this sadly common sector of risk, we found another place in our society where children’s rights are unprotected – in prison.
With any crime, when a father or mother are sent to prison their child faces many social problems. The family income stops, the other parent may remarry (leaving the child an outsider, subject to both physical and mental abuse) and often the family is viewed with suspicion in their community. In some cases, where the child has no other relatives to care for them (for example, where their father has run away or their mother was murdered by their father), dependent children are brought to prison with them. These innocent children are in prison having not committed any crime. Their rights to a safe environment, education and healthcare are not provided for. Children in prison are at risk of emotional and physical abuse.