KATHMANDU, Jan 13: The government is set to amend the Act Relating to Children that aims to free Nepal of street children. Efforts were underway to amend the Act, said Chandra Kumar Ghimire, Secretary of the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens.
'Social Welfare Act' to be amended as an umbrella act
The government has also launched various campaigns to rescue street children from the Kathmandu Valley. The Street Children Protection and Management Guidelines, 2072 BS has been formulated. Under a campaign to rescue street children, the total 1,011 street children were rescued and rehabilitated in the past two years. Seventy street children were rescued from the valley in the past five months alone, said the National Child Rights Council.
A campaign to rescue street children has been launched in State 1 on January 3 in coordination with the Ministry, Children Search Coordination Centre and Ministry of Social Development of the state, where a team would be mobilised at night to search and rescue street children. So far Kanchanrup municipality of Saptari district (State 2), Bhimeshwor municipality of Dolakha district (State 3), Devchuli municipality under Bardaghat Susta East of Gandaki State and four municipalities of Nawalparasi district (State 5) have been declared child-friendly areas.
