World Street Children News :: Nepal Streetkid News

NEPAL STREET LIFE: ADVENTURE, ABUSE & ADDICTION: KAREN CHOY

Happy days. Countless hours spent sniffing dendrite, smoking cigarettes, drinking "chyang", watching movies, playing cards, marbles, and video games. This is the life of a street child in Kathmandu. No responsibilities and fun with friends.

According to one child, "I don’t want to go home because I earn money here. I earn 100 to 150 rupees per day by rag picking. I eat meat and rice and with the rest of the money, I buy dendrite and drink alcohol. I’m the leader of my group."

Comments such as this reinforce the public perception of unruly, uncontrollable, and unreformable children. Many children do not regret their decision to live on the street. One child explains, "I like to stay on the street. Everyone loves me here."  For most of us, leaving behind family and friends to live life on the street is an unappealing choice. However, for these children, the home life they are leaving behind is often more abusive than street life. "When my father died, our family situation got very bad. We didn’t even have proper food. When I left, my mother was beating me badly, so I took a bus and left home." Stories of abuse and neglect are common among street children. Coming from hostile home environments and the need for personal security on the street, it becomes easy to understand the intense bonding that occurs among street children.

At the same time, strong bonds can become a source of peer pressure and exploitation among street children. Inhalant use, also known as "glue sniffing", is a popular social activity among Kathmandu street children. Those who choose not to inhale dendrite are forced to inhale by their peers through physical coercion. One child explains, "when I start sniffing, it becomes an addiction. What to do? I get sick. Friends force me when I quit. I can’t say no to friends." Once addicted to dendrite, the child is subject to exploitation by older street children and shopkeepers. "I am living on the street and I’m the leader of my group of 6 to 7. They are totally under me. I don’t beg anymore. They give me their earnings, if they don’t I beat them badly."

Another child reports exploitation from the shopkeepers who sell dendrite to addicted street children. "In a group we use 7-8 tubes to sniff. Each tube costs 50 rupess. Sometimes I’ve paid 100 rupees for a tube when I’m sick. Some shopkeepers are bad and charge high prices." These shopkeepers are consciously profiting from a child’s addiction.

A number of child welfare organizations such as Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Center (CWIN), SAATHI, Child Protection Centers and Services (CPCS), Association for the Protection of Children (APC), and Sath Sath have been assisting Kathmandu street children. However, long term solutions for dendrite addicted street children must consider the impact of strong bonds among street children and the absence of drug rehabilitation programs for children. Both of these factors dictate the effectiveness of long term interventions for children. One child spoke of his difficulty in remaining at a shelter for an extended period of time due to his strong ties to other street children. "I’ve been to a lot of organizations but fail to stay there because I miss my friends a lot. Nowadays, I’m having a lot of dendrite and cigarettes. I’ve become more dirty." Another child highlights dendrite addiction and withdrawal as the primary barrier in participating with long term reintegration programs. "I can’t live without taking dendrite. Feel sick without it. I try to leave it but I can’t. That’s why I can’t stay in any organization for a long period of time"

SAATHI recently completed a research project, "Street Children on Dendrite: Needs, Attitudes, and Desires", which examines the needs and concerns among street children to develop effective long term drug rehabilitation programs. From the data collected through interviews with street children in Jamal, Thamel, Basantapur, and Mahankal districts, SAATHI has found dendrite use to be an endemic part of street life. Virtually all research participants have engaged in dendrite use or are currently addicted to dendrite. Research participants indicated that dendrite is easily purchased in the Ason, Jamal, Kalopul, and Kalimati districts of Kathmandu and the Kumaripati district of Lalitpur. Dendrite sniffing typically takes place in a group setting. Groups as large as 30 street children inhale dendrite together. A group of 12 children can inhale up to 8 tubes of dendrite per day. Milk packets and polyurethane bags are generally used to contain the dendrite for easy inhalation.

Recommendations stemming from the SAATHI research project include the immediate need for a drug treatment program for children alongside an activities based outreach program for street children. Dendrite use has been a key method in which street children establish friendships. A peer based outreach program will provide another environment in which street children can build friendships which are not centered upon drug use.

Most of the children interviewed expressed a desire to end their dendrite addiction, however, many did not know how to achieve this. The children participating in the study ranged from 6 years old to 13 years old. One child states, "I want to change myself but I can’t and I don’t know why." Another says, "I don’t want to die soon. Feel like I’m mad. I don’t like drugs because one of my friends died because of these drugs."

It is up to concerned citizens, child welfare organizations, and the government to address the problem of dendrite use. Aside from their peers, these children have no guidance or support in overcoming addiction. This is not only a moral obligation but also mandated by Article 24.1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that no child should be deprived of the right to access health care services. This convention was ratified by the Government of Nepal on October 14th, 1990. It is crucial that this commitment is fully implemented with regard to dendrite use because the lives of hundreds of children in Kathmandu are at stake.

[The author is a Canadian National presently an intern at the Sancharika Samuha Nepal]

Street kids, domestic hands seek voting rights [ 2007-8-18 ]
By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Aug. 17: Street children and domestic workers, too, should have the right to cast their votes in the constituent assembly elections, they said at an interaction programme on Child Rights and the Constituent Assembly.

They said the state should also provide them their rights and their voices should be listened to.
Bishal Kayastha, former street child who now lives in a child’s home, said because of lack of parental care he likened his maternal uncle’s home more than his parent’s home.

“I was very much naughty when I was a child and my parents used to tie me with rope to make me stop doing nasty thing so I prefer to go to my maternal house in Panauti,” Bishal who is 15, said. No child would like to come to the street if they get proper love and care from the parents, he said.

One day on his way home from maternal house Bishal got lost and became a street children. That was during the people’s movement last year. He started living with other street children and drive rickshaw. The rickshaw driver only gave him two meals a day and no salary.

Another street child, Kamal Baral of Sindupalchok said that he was forced to leave his village after the Maoist threatened to kidnap him. He is a son of an armyman.

“Being the son of an army man, the Maoists used to threaten to take me away with them when I was on my way to school,” he said. Then he fled his village, came to Kathmandu and working as a hawker.

Currently, Baral is staying with his parents in Kathmandu. He still works as a hawker, but also goes to school.

Media persons and those working for the child rights said that many street children were more aware about politics than other children.

They said that more than 50 per cent street children participated in the people’s movement in one way or the other. In many protest programmes these children were the ones who were at the front, they said. More than 50 per cent of the street children were also injured but nobody has cared for them or has acknowledged their contribution.

They also said it is the duty of the adult eligible voters to choose the right candidates who can make a difference to the street children as well as everybody else.

  GLUE IS STICKING WITH KATHMANDU KIDS

Inhalant abuse is known by many names and comes in many forms. Typically, the user takes chemical products and inhales the vapour through their nose and mouth to experience a drug induced high. This practice of inhalant abuse is also known as glue sniffing, dendrite use, volatile substance abuse, solvent use, huffing, and bagging.

According to the Canadian Health Network, there are a variety of methods of inhalant abuse. "Sniffing" occurs directly from containers. Users sometimes heat the containers to produce fumes at a more rapid rate. This practice places users at high risk because many inhalants are highly flammable. "Huffing" involves soaking fabric into a solvent which is then placed on the user’s nose and mouth where chemical fumes are inhaled. "Bagging" occurs where the substance is placed in a bag. The bag is placed over the nose and mouth for the user to inhale the fumes.

Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN), established in 1987, is a non-government organization that has been promoting childrens’ rights. CWIN Program Officer, Sanu Giri, first learned about the practice of glue sniffing in 1998. Since 2001, Giri has noticed glue sniffing becoming a serious problem among street children in Nepal. SAATHI is another non-profit organization that has been working with street children by providing shelter, counseling services, and non-formal education. Samjhana K.C. has been working as a SAATHI Outreach Worker since 2001 and has found glue sniffing to be particularly prevalent in the Thamel, Jamal, and Basantapur districts of Kathmandu.

Costs of Sniffing

Glue sniffing has become popular among street children because it is available, cheap, and produces an immediate, euphoric high. In Kathmandu, dendrite is the most commonly used inhalant among street children. Dendrite is a brand of industrial grade adhesive often used for shoe repair or home renovations. According to SAATHI Outreach Workers, a child can purchase enough dendrite to produce a drug induced high for 2 to 3 rupees. A tube of dendrite costs between 30 to 50 rupees. Inhalant users may experience euphoria, hallucinations, or a sense of invincibility. Accessibility is a key difference between dendrite and other street drugs. Various household items can be used for inhalant abuse. Permanent markers, correction pens, nail polish remover, aerosol hairspray, paint solvent, and gasoline are examples of easily accessible inhalants. Addicted children can easily purchase inhalants from local shopkeepers and shoemakers without suspicion.

The health costs of glue sniffing range from chronic health problems to death. Inhalants produce deleterious effects on a child’s neurological, respiratory, and digestive system. In addition to such grave health consequences, glue sniffing has the potential to develop into a widespread trend among children in Kathmandu. SAATHI Outreach Workers have observed both street children and school children engaging in glue sniffing. Why are children sniffing? A report published by CWIN in 2002 has found motivators for inhalant abuse include: peer pressure, easy accessibility, physical addiction, and drug use as a coping strategy.

A hidden addiction

The lack of awareness about glue sniffing is another serious concern. According to Babita Basnet, President of Sancharika Samuha, "media are not aware of this problem and parents are not aware." The lack of information and research on glue sniffing has contributed to the low profile of this serious issue. The general public is largly unaware of glue sniffing entirely. As a result, addicted children can inhale dendrite openly because the community and police have not taken any measures to prevent this activity. Sancharika Samuha, a media awareness and advocacy organization, has suggested more research on glue sniffing be made available to sensitize media personnel of this issue in order to promote greater public awareness.

What is being done?

Child welfare organization SAATHI is currently conducting exploratory research on the needs of dendrite addicted street children. SAATHI is gathering data from Kathmandu street children in order to develop effective long term interventions for addicted children. CWIN has completed research on glue sniffing in the past and currently engages in anti-drug campaigns targeting addicted street children. "Most crucial is a rehabilitation center. Many of the street children are aware of the harmful effects. There nees to be long term support and strong government policies to address this issue," said Suvekycha Rana, Child Program Coordinator of SAATHI. Currently, there are no long term drug rehabilitation facilities for children in Kathmandu. Such services are only available to youth and adults. Furthermore, both CWIN and SAATHI emphasize the need for a comprehensive, long term approach to addiction among street children. Support services, long term rehabilitation centers for children, public awareness, and strong government policies combating glue sniffing are key elements in a comprehensive approach. Simply criminalizing inhalant abuse and penalizing dendrite distributors will only drive glue sniffing underground. In this situation, the more vulnerable street children would be subject to further exploitation. Instead, what is needed is community dialogue between individuals and child welfare agencies to begin addressing this serious issue.

Awareness campaigns about the consequences of glue sniffing should focus not only on the affected children, but also the community, police, shopkeepers, and shoemakers. Samjhana K.C., SAATHI Outreach Worker, has found shopkeepers and shoemakers to be the main distributors of inhalants in Kathmandu. Pooja Niroula, Program Manager of Richmond Fellowship Nepal, stresses that rehabilitation centers for children must take into account the specific needs of street children. For example, many street children enjoy significant independence living on the street. Thus, interventions aimed at addicted street children must attempt to strike a balance between providing structure for recovering addicts and maintaining individual autonomy. Niroula suggests a more effective approach would be peer based education coordinated by recovering addicts.

Why should this matter?

Inhalant abuse kills.

Dendrite use has the potential to become a widespread problem among children in Kathmandu. Many would argue dendrite use has already become an epidemic problem. Rates of inhalant abuse have dramatically increased among street children over the past 6 years. School children have also been seen glue sniffing by SAATHI Outreach Workers. From her experience at Richmond Fellowship, Pooja Niroula finds most recovering addicts started experimenting with drugs through inhalant abuse.

Increasing awareness about glue sniffing should include both the health consequences of inhalants as well as publicizing the symptoms of a dendrite addicted child to parents. According to the Canadian Health Network, some symptoms of inhalant abuse include: abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea; chemical smell on clothing, hair, or breath; stains on fingers or hands; drooling and spitting; watery or bloodshot eyes; headache and dizziness. Other general signs of a drug use problem include: emotional withdrawl, sudden changes in daily routine, trouble at school, trouble with the law, and new "friends".

Inhalants abroad

Inhalant abuse is a problem not limited to Nepal. Countries around the world have struggled to address inhalant use among children. The Canadian Health Network advises that many children may not realize inhalants can kill both a first time user and a long term user. According to the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, it is estimated that 100 to 125 Americans die per year as a result of inhalant abuse. During November 2000, the Canadian government responded to a request to intervene and address the issue of 39 gasoline addicted children living in a small Aboriginal community in Labrador, Canada. As a response to the number of gasoline sniffing deaths among Australian Indigenous communities, the Australian government in 2005 promoted a new type of gasoline which has low levels of aromatic hydrocarbons, the substance which gives gasoline sniffers a drug induced high.

Many areas struggling with high rates of inhalant abuse are highly fractured communities experiencing a number of other social issues. Some children turn to glue sniffing to escape their daily reality of life on the streets. Regardless of the individual motivations for inhalant use, the increasing trend of glue sniffing among Kathmandu street children raises larger questions. Why are so many children addicted to inhalants? Perhaps, this is a symptom of larger social problem and the needs of Kathmandu’s children are being overlooked. Exploring these issues further requires open dialogue about inhalant abuse and the needs of street children.

Equal Opportunities for Children

In law, all children are equal. Section 13(1) of Nepal’s Interim Constitution of 2007 states, "All citizens shall be equal before the law. No person shall be denied equal protection of the laws." In practice, all children should be valued as they are the future of Nepal. Failing to address the needs of children is a failure of society as a whole. Addiction is a powerful force in which many struggle their entire lives to overcome. The increasing numbers of children addicted to inhalants is an alarming reality. Child welfare workers in Kathmandu have seen a marked increase in glue sniffing in recent years and predict this trend will continue. It is crucial for the government, social welfare agencies, schools, parents, and the public to act now and address this serious problem that is risking the lives of Kathmandu’s kids.

(The author is a Canadian student working as an internee at Sancharika Samuha)

Lost children of Kathmandu
Documentary on street children in Kathmandu, Nepal, by Mike Mullins

 BBC

Khemraj Puri and Gopal Gurung are former street children. There stories are a reminder that in times of dramatic political changes, Nepal faces another pressing problem - poverty.

Here they talk about their lives on the streets of Kathmandu and their hopes for the future.

They have also been speaking to ordinary people about how things have changed since King Gyanendra was forced to give up political power last year. Click on the link below to read their report.

Khemraj Puri: Nobody listens to the simple people

I was born in a small village in eastern Nepal. I don’t know my exact age but I must have been born around 1985.

I have six brothers and sisters. None of us got the chance to study.

My siblings worked in the carpet factory for very little money that wasn’t enough for food and housing. In desperation I left my parents and started a life on the streets.

There were 19 street kids in our group fighting the cold on the streets of Kathmandu. Life was very difficult because there weren’t many generous people to depend on. So we used to beg from foreigners.

Most of the time we used to collect plastic garbage in order to sell it. But the money we would get for a whole day’s work was not enough for one breakfast. So we used to steal fruit and vegetables from the shops.

We were not allowed to sleep in front of the people’s houses. So we used to sleep, when there were no policemen, in the corner of the road cuddling with the dogs to keep warm.

New beginning

I was lucky enough to join a school for street children, the Nawa Asha Griha (NAG) which means Home of New Hopes. There I not only got food, clothes and shelter, but also a very good education. It was a great change in my life.

Khemraj Puri was eight years old when he started living on the streets

I have recently left the NAG home but all my college expenses are still paid by it. Now I am studying in higher secondary level which is going to be completed in a few days.

I am also working as a night taxi driver in order to pay for rent and food. I sometimes get hired to make videos at weddings and birthdays. I love taking photos and videos of life on the street. I want people to see the true Nepal not the tourist Nepal.

I would like to go abroad to earn enough money so that I can make my parents happy and I could give them everything I was deprived of in my young age. It is my duty to look after them.

I do not believe I can earn enough in Nepal to make a good future. I feel that nothing has changed in this country and nobody listens to the simple people.

Although I don’t have wealth, I have ability and education to achieve all I wish for. I wish I could earn enough money abroad, so that I can come back and become a politician. This way I can help my country.

Gopal Gurung wants to be a journalist and show the true face of Nepal

I was born in a very poor family in the Himalayan region in 1986. I don’t know the date of my birth.

When I was four our family was forced to leave our village. Our house and land had to be sold as my parents had to pay their debt.

We came to Kathmandu. It was like moving from heaven to hell. My mother worked in a carpet factory. She was trying to make our life better. She couldn’t. Her salary was too low.

I was forced to beg on the roadside. I had very bad experiences working there. The big boys used to beat me and take money from me.

Treated like a dog

Some people treated me like a dog, but the dogs also treated me like their enemy. The only thing I could do was beg at the holy Buddhist stupa in Boudhanath, hoping that a person with a kind heart would help me.

My mother could no longer bear the pain of our situation and ran away. I was five years old and very alone in the corner of this great city. There was nothing to eat at home, so I had to learn how to survive by myself.

I slept on the side of the road, in the park and in front of the shopping centres. Early in the morning I would get a hard kick in my back to chase me away.

I saw kids going to school. I was very jealous as I also wanted to study. I was seven years old and I had not known what education was. I wanted to study and become a good human being.

Then I heard about a small school which gave children like me education. I had to convince my father to let me go. I saved as much money as I could and gave it to him to make him happy. My dream was coming true.

A painting by Gopal Gurung

When I entered the gate of the school I felt happy for the first time in my life. Now I am the tallest boy at the school and I feel proud of myself. I am educated and I love basketball and painting.

Time has taken my past but my future is safe. My success belongs to the future. I want to earn money by doing a good job.

I want to paint and write about the true face of Nepal, like the streets and the poor people’s life.

I want to see equality between rich and poor, and between men and women in this country.

I would also like to start a home for street kids because there are so many children on the streets that have no place to go. I want to help them in the same way I was helped.

Kids In The Dark
One of the biggest problems in the streets of Kathmandu…

Pegasus Project
This is an updated video from our project in Nepal showing the plight of the street children and what we can do to help. Thank you to Snow Patrol for the powerful music. You can get involved in our project by going to our website www.pegasusproject.org

Street Kids of Kathmandu
by Roshan Tulachan
Iam a little boy
Only flesh and bone,
No mother have I for love
My father he has left me alone.
When I scratch my skin peels
All night Iam crying and Iam crying,
Hell God only knows how I feels.

I don’t know what to do?
Don’t know where to go?
My pain! thats all I know.
But,I’d like to go
Go where I could find my friends,
People say,they are in Kathmandu
With their rags and tattered souls,
Where the streets burn
Flames of hunger like burning coals.

People say,they sleep and sprawl
Beneath the shop windows,
With blows on their head
And flies over their scabs,
Glue sniffing their nose.
They wake up with mad dogs
That have forgotten to growl,
Counting plastic trash,empty bottles
With their dry lips,
Breaking a hard bread from yesterday.

Copyright 2006 Roshan Tulachan

eKantipur.com - Street kids to join Dashain celebrations

BY LEKHNATH PANT

KATHMANDU, Sept 29 - As Dashain fever grips the country and Kathmandu becomes emptier with people from outside the capital heading home to celebrate the festival, little do people care about whether Dashain is a festival for Kathmandu’s street children as well.

If, by any chance, that question arose in your mind, here is the answer: YES.

Some organizations working for children are busy these days scheduling Dashain programs for street children. Bishwa Bajracharya, executive director of Saath Saath, said his organization has several programs for street children starting Thursday. Among the programs are Changa chait (kite flying), party, clothes distribution and Tika ceremony.

Similarly, Child Protection Center and Services (CPCS), another organization, has also scheduled Dashain celebrations for street children. Bijesh Shrestha, in-charge of this initiative, said children residing in the organization’s drop-in center and those on the streets will participate in the observance of Phulpati, goat slaughter the following day and receive Tika on their foreheads like any other kid.

Voice of Children, another organization, tried to convince street children to return home. However, even if they don’t, there is a sweet Dashain fete they can join in.

Sanu Giri, the program officer at CWIN said there are approximately 1000 street children in Kathmandu at the moment. Although there is no official data, it is estimated that there were 2000 street children in Kathmandu in 1990 and another 5000 around the country. The number of street children in Kathmandu decreased to 500 in 2001. The number at present has again shot up to 1000 due to conflict, according to Giri.

Kumar Pariyar, a street child says he won’t go home for Dashain. He has been in the streets of Kathmandu for three years. He says he is from Beltar but is unaware of his home district. Happily, Kumar says he is celebrating Dashain with Saath Saath.

Bibek Moktan, a street child from Hetauda, is not even aware that Dashain is around. While saying that he came to the streets after the death of his mother and mistreatment by his step-mother, he asked when Dashain festivities start.

While the state has neglected these children, they cherish the rosy hopes of grace shown by some NGOs, INGOs and kind people for the food and clothes in Dashain.

Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has stopped dealing with the problems faced by street children, according to Raju Shrestha, the program manager of Domestic Child Worker at KMC. In the past, the unit was looking after the problem under an International Labor Organization project. The project is over now.

The Himalayan Times: Street Kids Getting High With Adhesives

Mudita Bajracharya
Kathmandu, August 2:

It was midday. The street was busy with people on the move and the hurly-burly as usual. Abandoned at a traffic island at Jamal was a mother of one who was high on glue, an intoxicant now prized by street children in the city.

Shanti (name changed) is someone who grew up on the streets, and her companions include her two-and-a-half-year-old son. The minor, too, inhales glue for kicks. They do it after squeezing it into a plastic bag. The glue contains neurotoxic hydrocarbon, which depresses the appetite and causes hallucinations if inhaled.

‘Shanti’s son, who picked up the habit of consuming alcohol and sniffing glue is, however, only a case of its kind,’ according to Kabir Pradhan, Sub-Inspector at the Women’s Cell. ‘Almost 95 per cent of the children below 14 years and living on the streets are addicted to adhesives. They have plastic bags with glues in them all the time,’ he added.

‘We are a group of six and beg in the streets. We use as many as five tubes a day,’ Shanti said.
A single tube of adhesive, which costs Rs 50, is easily available and affordable.

Biso Bajracharya, executive director of Sath Sath, a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) involved in campaigning against drug abuse, explained the phenomenon. ‘They have picked up the habit after initially taking the glue as a defence against cold and difficulties of street life.’

‘Most of the children are rag pickers and earn Rs 200 a day on an average. Moreover, since they do not have to spend for food and shelter, which is now provided by a few NGOs working for children, they use the extra cash they have to buy their dose of intoxicant,’ he said.
Chandrodaya, Sath Sath and the Kathmandu Valley Police jointly organised a campaign in 2004 to alert the hardware shops and cobblers on the sale of such adhesives.

"We organised street dramas which had helped minimise the menace. However, it is spreading again," said Himmat Maskey, the General Secretary of CPCS, an NGO. He said the habit has spread to school and higher secondary students.

Maskey, however, said that the spread cannot be controlled through campaigns since glue in not considered a drug. He was of the view that the government must have rules, which bar shops from selling the substances to minors.

The Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 1976, has branded the ‘cultivation, production, preparation, manufacture, export, import, purchase, possession, sale or consumption of most commonly abused drugs’ as illegal.
The Act, amended in 1993, implements most of the UN Single Convention and the 1972 Protocol by addressing narcotics production, manufacture, sales, import and exports.