How Could You? Hall of Shame-Nepal Edition
This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.
From Nepal, “Twenty children who had been beaten and starved while living in squalid and unhealthy conditions at an illegal orphanage in Mukti, Nepal, are now under the care of Next Generation Nepal (http://www.nextgenerationnepal.org)
An orphanage volunteer alerted staff at Terre des Hommes International Federation, a Swiss nonprofit devoted to disadvantaged children, and Save the Children about the condition of the children. These organizations in turn alerted government authorities.
The transfer of the children was supervised by Nepal’s Central Child Welfare Board and the District Child Welfare Board—two agencies charged with child protection.
Fourteen of the children are girls and six are boys. The youngest is a 5-year-old boy and the oldest is a 15-year-old girl. The children were moved to NGN’s Karnali Home 1 in Kathmandu, one of two transitional homes for trafficked children operated by NGN. Karnali Home 2 is located in Humla, the remote district in far Western Nepal where most of the trafficked children in NGN’s care originate.
“The children are in a really bad shape,” says NGN Country Director Julien Lovera. “Most of them said they were happy to leave the orphanage even before they knew where they were going. A few asked me if they would continue to be beaten, whether they would still go hungry and whether they would be allowed to play football. We are trying our best to help them adjust.”
The orphanage volunteer whose concern and action led to the rescue has visited the children at NGN’s Karnali Home 1.
“It was a huge help for the kids to see her,” says Lovera. “I allowed her to stay with them for the night and for a few more days, if she wishes. She’s a great source of information about the children’s backgrounds.”
The current residents of Karnali Home 1—eight adolescents under NGN’s guardianship who were also victims of trafficking—
“Our kids have been just wonderful,” says Lovera. “They’ve been so caring, trying to make a difficult adjustment as smooth as possible. I am so proud of them.”
The children from the orphanage will remain in Karnali Home 1 as NGN begins the process of determining if the children have families, locating them, reconnecting them and stabilizing their futures.
“NGN is grateful to be able to play a part in the rescue of these children and provide them with the basic rights that every child deserves,” says NGN Executive Director Hallie Tamez. “This is who we are and what we do.”
Still, she adds, there are thousands of other children enduring similarly horrific situations at this very moment. NGN relies on individual donations to continue rescuing these children and reuniting them with their families.
About Next Generation Nepal
Next Generation Nepal is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reconnecting trafficked children with their families. Founded in 2006 by Conor Grennan and Farid Ait- Mansour, NGN has linked trafficked children in its care to their home communities in post-conflict Nepal through a careful process of reconnection and reunification. With offices in New York City and Kathmandu, NGN oversees a small program staff implementing an ambitious strategic plan for growth and maximum impact. The founding of NGN is chronicled in the current international bestseller from HarperCollins, “Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal” by NGN founder Conor Grennan.”
March 21, 2011 Next Generation Nepal Press Release
Issues from this orphanage date back many years. As with all adoption and orphanage corruption investigations, the players, child cases and orphanages and ALL of their connections must be examined. The corruption is not always isolated to ONE branch of a child welfare system. Background information can be found at Pound Pup Legacy Nepal Files .
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