Proper care and rehabilitation of street children stressed

Itahari - The number of underprivileged children, including the street children, is found increasing in the urban areas of the country over the last few years due to various reasons as poverty, illiteracy, disintegration of family, child marriage, among others. 

Speakers at a programme organized by Voice of Children, Itahari on Sunday expressed concern over this issue and underlined the need of proper protection, care and rehabilitation of the underprivileged children. 

They said that augmenting to the role of Child Helpline 1098 would go a long way in the proper management and care of the children who are forced to leave home and come in the streets. 

The participants and facilitators of the programme also said the media could play a crucial role from its side in the rehabilitation and protection of such underprivileged children.
 
They said it is the State's responsibility to protect the street children, provide proper care, food and shelter to them, and to rehabilitate them, adding that the media could also contribute in this task by making the State accountable. 

The speakers also underlined the need of addressing the social, cultural and economic causes that force children to abandon their families and make streets their home. 

Suman Adhikari, Raj Ghimire, Bharat Thapa, Amar Khadka among others from the Voice of Children Campaign, highlighted the issues of the street children while the participating journalists also expressed their views at the programme.