फ्रिडमम्याटर्स के भन्छन् ? आमाको घर र दिलशोभाको बारेमा, अनि ह्याप्पी होम्सको बारेमा नि ?

आमाको घर र दिलशोभाको बारेमा

फ्रिडमम्याटर्स र सानोपाइलाले आमाको घरमा आफ्नो कुनै संलग्नता छ भन्ने कुरालाई नकारेका छन् भने ह्याप्पी होमको वास्तविकता पत्ता लगाउन आफ्नो संलग्नता स्वीकारेका छन् ।




Tackling : Aama-ko-ghar

Source : http://www.freedommatters.org.uk/projects/fighting-trafficking/Tacklng-Aama-Ko-Ghar.html

Dil Shova Shrestha is considered by many to be a national treasure and has become an international icon for her apparent selfless service in support of elderly people and children in her own home, "Aama Ko Ghar", in Kathmandu. She has travelled widely on fundraising visits including to the USA and South Korea. She is pictured right receiving a cheque for £4,000 equivalent on a trip to Korea.

On Tuesday, 25 February, The Nepal Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Central Child Welfare Board (CCWB) informed Sano Paila that they planned to execute a rescue the following morning at Aama Ko Ghar and needed Sano Paila to accept 42 children into its new Children's Receiving Home, which was set up as part of a professional plan for the rescue of children from Happy Home. The CCWB informed us that the complaints against Aama Ko Ghar were serious and involved child labour and possible sexual exploitation. Sano Paila agreed to the CCWB's request and accepted the children into our safe, secure, and properly equipped and managed Receiving Home pending further investigations. Here is a press report on the operation.

Freedom Matters and Sano Paila had absolutely no prior involvement with the investigation of Aama Ko Ghar and we await the outcome of the investigations. Dil Shova and her supporters are robustly denying involvement in direct sexual abuse and this may well prove to be the case. However at this early stage we have a number of concerns and observations relating to other important issues that need to be shared:

• On the day of the rescue just 34 children were found as Dil Shova had been advised of the forthcoming action a day beforehand through a press report. These missing children remain unaccounted for bar three girls who were found the day after the rescue.
• Children were allegedly being sent out into domestic service in return for a fee. If true, this represents not only involvement in child labour but also a fundamental serious breach in child protection. Children could have easily been exposed to all kinds of abuse as a result.
• Dil Shova's facility was not registered as a childcare centre although large sums of money were being raised in its support (this is not being denied). This put the Centre outside the standards of care decreed by the authorities - and the standard provided was very poor indeed in spite of the Centre's substantial income. See the picture of the well at the Centre.
• When Dil Shova took old people and latterly children into her own home this appears to have been into a property that was at risk of being repossessed through Dil Shova not being in a position to repay a bank loan. On the strength of the potential vulnerability of the residents - a very powerful emotional tool - this personal debt was repaid through central government funds and through public (charitable) subscription. This is one of the aspects (seen all too often) that disturbs us in the "orphanage business" - individual's personal capital assets being enhanced through public funds or charitable donation.

The investigation is ongoing. Meantime we need your support to help fund this operation, including the aftercare of the children who have been at Aama Ko Ghar.



अनि ह्याप्पी होम्सको बारेमा नि ?

Exposing "Happy Home"

Source :  http://www.freedommatters.org.uk/projects/fighting-trafficking/our-rescue-agency.html

"Happy Home", an "orphanage" in Kathmandu valley first came to the public attention in January 2013 following adverse press coverage in the Himalayan Times alleging abuse and exploitation of children by the proprietors, Bishwa and Pooja Acharya. Following complaints registered by representatives of overseas donors, the Central Child Welfare Board (CCWB) called an inquiry. This essentially exonerated the Acharyas. Freedom Matters and Sano Paila became involved in July 2013, launching our own undercover investigation. This informed a visit by UK Channel Four's "Unreported World" team in August and their expose of Happy Home was shown in the UK in November. See the film link below:



An extract from a UK TV report "The Orphan Business" shown in November 2013. UK charity Freedom Matters and its implementing partner Nepal NGO Sano Paila have been working on this issue since mid 2013 and collaborated with the programme makers. They have also been supporting the police and authorities in an undercover investigation that led to the arrest of Bishwa Acharya on 14th February 2014. Much, much more needs to be done to expose the role of many Nepalese orphanages in child trafficking.

In spite of threats from Happy Home against potential witnesses the investigation, in conjunction with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) continued into 2014, building a powerful body of evidence against the Acharyas and their associates. This included the trafficking of children from villages on trekking routes to the north and from poor communities within Kathmandu valley. Bishwa Acharya was arrested on the 14th February 2014 amidst a blaze of media publicity. See this report in the Nepali Times and the film below shown on Al Jazeera:

Published on Feb 27, 2014

Al Jazeeras Subina Shrestha reports from Kathmandu.In Nepal many orphanages are run as businesses. They are filled with children who have families, but who are kept and used to bring in funding from foreigners. Activists say many are not orphans and some end up as victims of child trafficking.

The case is ongoing, but is for certain a landmark one. Never before has an operation of this scale been undertaken in Nepal and for the first time an orphanage owner has been arrested on child trafficking charges.