Children banned from travelling alone in Nepal

OHMYGOSSIP — Battered by a series of deadly earthquakes since last month, the Nepal government on Tuesday said that children travelling need to be accompanied by their parents or legal guardian to prevent trafficking of homeless kids in the country.

The ban on children travelling alone comes after authorities and activists sounded caution over human trafficking networks targeting families who lost their livelihoods in last month’s earthquake.

The 7.8-magnitude quake, which killed more than 8,600 people, devastated rural areas, with hundreds of thousands losing their homes and possessions.

The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare in Nepal said the ban was aimed at protecting homeless children, living in tent camps.

“If strangers are found travelling with children they will be under the watch of police,” said Radhika Aryal of the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare in the capital Kathmandu.

“All district officials and police units across the country have been asked to remain on high alert on this.”

Kiran Rupakheti, another official of the ministry, said that international adoption of children from Nepal has also been banned for the next three months.

The ministry said that an approval letter issued by a district Child Welfare Board will be needed for any other adults traveling with children from one district to another.

The measures come after authorities found dozens of children from earthquake-struck areas travelling with strangers under what officials said were suspicious circumstances.

Activists had warned that children were vulnerable to trafficking in the country.

Tarak Dhital of the government’s Central Child Welfare Board said 64 children from Dolakha and Dhading districts, both of which were devastated by the earthquakes, were rescued and are now under the care of a registered children’s home.

Police arrested two Indian and three Nepali adults who were travelling with 11 of the children, between 10 and 12 years old, from Dolakha to Kathmandu without the required papers, police said.

“We are investigating if this is a case of trafficking,” police official Dan Bahadur Karki said.

Child rights activists have also warned that the situation may worsen as traffickers target newly vulnerable children and families.

“After the earthquake, traffickers’ groups could become very active targeting parents who have lost their homes to send their children with them, promising education or a better life,” said Krishna Thapa of Voice of Children, a rights group.