Incident Reports

KMC's child protection centres exist only in name

2014-09-08

Bagmati, Ramechhap, Doramba

Kathmandu,KMC's Balbalika Sanraxhan kendra naam ma matra Simit. The child protection and promotion units established by Kathmandu Metropolitan City two years ago to make citizens and children aware about the basic rights of children including their participation, protection, development and survival, now exist in name only. KMC has created Child Rights Protection and Promotion Committee comprising the metropolis, governmental and non-governmental agencies in 15 of the 35 wards in the capital city since 2012. However, lack of coordination between the concerned agencies is likely to prevent KMC from expanding the committees to the remaining 20 wards. The committees lack basic amenities like library, recreation park, child clubs, child rights and promotion units, furniture and other necessary logistics to attract target groups. Rajya P Pradhananga, divisional chief of Social Welfare Department, defended the near defunct state of the committees and blamed everything on ‘budget crunch’. “Only 10 per cent of KMC’’s total annual budget allocated to the SWD is meant for child protection and promotion committees this fiscal yea,r which is not sufficient to operate the ward units properly,” he said. KMC’s child rights protection and promotion committee is also facing a challenge due to the lack of staff, social workers and volunteers. The ward committees have been unsuccessful in establishing child clubs to make KMC a child-friendly city. KMC said it is planning to hold meeting of each committees in all wards once every month to inform and update about efforts to achieve the goal of becoming a child-friendly city. According to Pradhananga, local bodies should be supported by private agencies to function in the ward units and to safeguard the rights of the children at home, school and the streets. “The committees aims to make the general public aware of child rights, rescue and rehabilitation of children at risk and those who are exploited and street children. It also aims to organise awareness-raising campaigns on child rights. We have not been able to make the centres true to their names,” he added. - HIMALAYAN NEWS

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