Measures To Check Children Migration

Children are migrating within their own country or across borders alone or with their families in search of safety, protection, or better opportunities, and this can be according to their wishes and external pressure. Children on the move are children who migrate within their own country or across borders alone or with their family members, or other caregivers in search of safety, protection, services, or better opportunities for their lives. The move may be based on one's own wishes or influenced by external conditions.

Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) ensures that children should not be separated from their parents against their will, except when necessary for the child’s best interests, like protection from abuse, exploitation, violence, etc. In Nepal, internal and external mobility of children with and without families is very high as they seek opportunities for a better life. The reasons for children on the move are lack of appropriate parental care, poor socio-economic status, limited access to education and health facilities, child abuse, exploitation, violence, social discrimination, natural and manmade disasters, and more. 

Lack of monitoring 

The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal and the International Labour Organisation have reported that 1.1 million children are engaged in labour, and nearly 350,000 children are without parental care; most of these children are vulnerable and are at risk of abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and others. Every year, many children in Nepal leave their families for work and go to India and after dropping out of school, as there is a lack of exact data. According to UNICEF Nepal, 770,000 children aged 5-12 years are still out of school, and there is no monitoring and tracking mechanism for those children. One of the major causes of children moving is a lack of quality and child-friendly education.  

Article 39 of the Constitution of Nepal states the fundamental rights of children, reflecting the government’s commitment to child protection. The Children Act 2075, Children’s Regulation 2078, and National Children Policy 2080 have introduced additional legal provisions to further safeguard children’s rights and strengthen child protection in Nepal. Besides these strong constitutional and legal provisions, the implementation is weak in protecting the children’s rights. Policy gaps, inadequate and misuse of resources, limited capacity, negative mindset of stakeholders, and inconsistent practices continue to hamper the effective protection of children’s rights.

National Child Rights Council (NCRC) has reported that 8,179 children were lost in fiscal year 2081/082, and 7604 were found, but the status of the remaining is unknown. This is also a consequence of the children on the move in Nepal, and the loss of children is an alarming concern from the child rights and protection perspective. This situation reflects the growing issue of children on the move in Nepal, which is a serious social issue which is driven by unsafe migration, family conflict, weak child protection mechanisms, poor and unapproachable essential services, and so on. 

In Nepal, some initiatives have started to protect the children who are separated from their families. The government of Nepal, the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens (MoWCSC) and the National Child Rights Council (NCRC) have been running the National Centre for Children at Risk -104, and the children helpline service 1098, but the data and incidents reflect that access to services is not reaching the needy children and their communities.  

Altogether, 104 hotline services are established in 71 districts, and helpline services of 1098 are established in 18 districts of Nepal. After receiving the calls, the teams of the 104 and 1098 have the mandate to rescue abandoned children, support those at-risk children by counseling, and provide basic needs. In Nepal, many child rights-based organisations and networks advocate and act for the prevention and protection of children in vulnerable conditions to ensure their basic rights in collaboration with government child protection mechanisms. 

Comprehensive services 

Voice of Children, a child rights-based organisation of Nepal, has developed the Ladder Approach to provide comprehensive services to the children separated from their families and communities. Outreach, Rescue, Rehabilitation, Reintegration, and Prevention Programmes are being implemented under the Ladder Approach. 

In Nepal, there is an urgent need to strengthen the child protection system at the local level and enhance collaboration among multi-level stakeholders to effectively prevent children from being on the move. Local governments, local child rights committees, schools, the police and civil society organisations must work in close coordination to identify risks and provide support to vulnerable children and families. The Child Helpline services need to expand to 77 districts with trained and child-friendly staff, and establish a friendly reporting and response mechanism. 

(Ghimire is deputy director of Voice of Children and general secretary of Children as Zones of Peace- National Campaign (CZOP-Nepal.)