KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities, and Social Security has rescued 20 children from the central home of the Nepal Children’s Organization.

The rescue was initiated after a joint monitoring team from the Ministry and the Child Helpline (104) inspected the facility following video evidence received from local stakeholders, individuals, and some staff members exposing severe mismanagement at the children’s home.

During the inspection, the team discovered extremely poor hygiene standards, unsanitary and slippery toilets and bathrooms, waterlogging inside the building, and a lack of age-appropriate segregation, with children of various age groups kept together in the same space.

Based on these findings, the Ministry, in coordination with the Child Helpline, transferred 20 children under the age of two—comprising 12 boys and 8 girls—to a safe environment in the first phase of the operation.

The Ministry stated that it has already initiated the necessary legal and paperwork processes regarding the incident.

Coordination is currently underway with relevant agencies to ensure the protection, medical checkups, proper care, and rehabilitation of the rescued children.

Officials emphasized that the remaining children’s situation will also be evaluated with their best interests in mind, promising continuous monitoring and swift decision-making moving forward.