Nepalgunj, Dec 22, 2019 : A total of 20 unattended children who were on the way to Gorakhpur district in India have been stopped at Nepal-India border point in Nepalgunj, Banke district recently since they were travelling under mysterious circumstances, it has been said.
Chief of CWIN, Child Protection and Helpline Nepalgunj, Siddaraj Paneru, shared that those stranded children were rescued and have been handed over to their respective parents and guardian in the presence of the district administration.
“The unsafe journey the stranded Nepali children were making to India might have pushed them to risky and tricky situations.”
The police here have been stepping its vigilance in the border points by coordinating efforts with NGO/INGOs working in the children’s sector to curb cross-border trafficking.
The rescued children, after being brought to CWIN Child Protection and Helpline’s Office, admitted that they were seeking job opportunities in Gorakhpur since they wanted to make money during their school holidays.
Madhav Rijal at Area Police Office, Jamunaha described that the children going to India in droves were stopped at the border point with India because they were not attended to by any adults.
Rijal shared, “One among the children lied that he had taken ill. Further interrogation divulged the details that they were on the way to Gorakhpur seeking employments.”
Children, especially those from mountainous areas and economically-disadvantaged groups in this region, have been found sneaking their way into Indian bordering towns for employments during their winter vacation with and without knowledge of their family.
CWIN had rescued altogether 52 stranded children in the last fiscal year 2018/19 while 10 of them were tracked down and rehabilitated.
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