Makwanpur’s Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City–11, Thanabharyang-based 30-bed capacity Child Reform Home is facing serious problems due to the accommodation of boys far beyond its capacity. The facility currently houses 89 boys.
Within a cramped building constructed on about 1526.20 sq. metres of land, boys from 22 districts are living squeezed into five rooms. According to the head of the reform home, Pradip Gautam, due to extreme overcrowding, many boys are forced to sleep on the floor.
The reform home is also found lacking not only in accommodation but also in basic facilities. Essential services such as food, sanitation, sports, and library access have not been effectively operated.
Following a dispute at the Thimi-based child home in Bhaktapur, the government had decided to transfer children to reform homes outside the Kathmandu Valley. In that process, 30 boys were brought from Thimi to Makwanpur, and as they were not later sent back, the overcrowding here increased.
Currently, among the boys in the reform home, 8 are above 18 years of age. In terms of cases, the highest number, 62 boys, are accused in rape-related cases, followed by 10 in killing cases, 9 in drug-related cases, and others involved in various offenses.
The excessive pressure beyond capacity has made the management of the child reform home increasingly challenging, while concerns are rising that it is also affecting the basic rights of the boys and the rehabilitation process.