Procedure issued for managing street kids

Kathmandu, January 16

The Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens has issued the model ‘Procedure on Expenditure for Management of Street Children’ for the purpose of provincial and local levels to spend funds for creating an environment in which no child is forced to leave his/her family to live a neglected life in the streets.

As per the procedure, the concerned local level shall rescue street children and conduct various programmes for their protection, psycho-social counselling, socialisation, family reunion, rehabilitation and reintegration to ensure that they do not return to the streets again.

“The Ministry of Social Development of each province shall operate programmes for rescue, protection, family and social rehabilitation, reunion, reintegration, psycho-social counselling and socialisation, among others. The children rescued from the street may be rehabilitated by the concerned local level and social organisations in coordination with the province,” the procedure states.

While managing street children, it will require the provincial and local levels to conduct awareness programmes, make necessary arrangements of health and medical care of the children, operate formal and non-formal education, and skill-based training, identify the cause that led them to live in the streets and adopt necessary measures to tackle the problem accordingly, and carry out monitoring of street children-related programmes and submit a report thereof to the MoWCSC on a regular basis.

The fund and budget appropriated for the management of street children shall be spent, subject to the existing Financial Procedure Act and Rules, Children Rescue, Protection and Management Guidelines and this procedure.

According to studies, the main reasons for migration, which finally forces children to end up in streets are family violence, peer influence, family economic situation, family disintegration, to escape from conflict situations and to seek opportunities.