Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Two jailed for 17 years (The Kathmandu Post)







Two jailed for 17 years

The Kathmandu Post

Kathmandu, Dec 02

The Kathmandu District Court on Monday slapped 17-year jail on two individuals for molesting orphans sheltered at Bal Mandir, a non-government network of orphanages across the country.

A single bench of Justice Pashupati Acharya convicted Rabin Shrestha, former head of adoptions at Bal Mandir, and Rabin Chalise, a former student who ran a Youth Club at the shelter, for sexually exploiting the minors there. Both will be locked up for 16-and-a-half years. The three victims also stand to receive Rs 100,000 each in compensation.

The duo has been in police custody since June 17. Initially, the case was handled by the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police. The CIB probe showed that the duo molested the girls on numerous occasions. Medical reports and victims’ statements had clearly suggested that the girls were raped.

Activists from Action for Child Rights International-Nepal had presented testimonies of the abused to the CIB. In the complaint, they had said Shrestha and Chalise raped and molested the children, two of them autistic, repeatedly.

Almost one-and-a-half years ago, a visually impaired girl adopted by a foreigner had complained of similar sexual harassment by Shrestha. When her mother tried to file a case, she was barred citing the 35-day statute of limitations. Following the incident, the Forum for Women, Law and Development has filed a case in Supreme Court seeking a change in the 35-day time limit and action against Shrestha in the case.

Posted on: 2014-12-03

http://np.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2014/12/02/top-story/two-jailed-for-17-years/270357.html


For more on Rabin Shrestha & Rabin Chalise, see Pound Pup Legacy:

Nepal Children's Organization (NCO/Bal Mandir) -- child trafficking, corruption and sexual abuse

http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/73445


Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Two orphanage workers jailed for raping autistic girls (The Himalayan Times)








Two orphanage workers jailed for raping autistic girls

The Himalayan Times

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

2014-12-02

KATHMANDU: A court has jailed two men who worked at a prominent orphanage in Kathmandu for repeatedly raping three autistic girls in their care, an official said today.

A judge at Kathmandu District Court found the two men guilty of rape yesterday evening in a fast-track case that has cast a spotlight on Nepal’s massive orphanage industry.

“Justice Pashupati Acharya has sentenced Rabin Shrestha and Rabin Chalise to 16 and a half years of imprisonment each,” said court Spokesman Shree Prasad Sanjel. “He also ordered both of them to give 100,000 rupees as compensation to each of the victims,” Sanjel told AFP.

Shrestha, 43, worked as head of adoptions at Bal Mandir orphanage, while Chalise volunteered as a fund-raiser for the institution. The girls, aged 13, 14 and 15, complained to a rights group which alerted police in June to the attacks.

Activist Salina Tamang, 29, whose group Action for Child Rights International pushed the case, said the verdict sent a clear warning to other orphanage employees against wrongdoing. “We are happy with the court’s decision...I believe this verdict can be a lesson for those working at other orphanages in Nepal,” she said.

The defendants’ lawyer, Ganesh Adhikari, told AFP that he planned to file an appeal at a higher court within a month.

The case underscored the problems facing Nepal’s orphanages, some of which have been hit by allegations of sexual abuse, corruption and fraud in recent years.

Nepal has 797 orphanages, according to official records, but activists claim the actual figure is much higher, with employees passing off children — whose families are cheated into sending them to the centres for a good education — as orphans in a bid to raise donations.

“Many orphanages here are unregulated and unregistered... the government should draw up a serious action plan to monitor these institutions so such incidents are not repeated in the future,” Tamang told AFP.

Police in February arrested the owner of Kathmandu’s Happy Home orphanage on charges of fraud, kidnapping and torture. In August 2012 British charity worker Simon Jasper McCarty pleaded guilty to sexually abusing three boys he met in Kathmandu.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Two+orphanage+workers+jailed+for+raping+autistic+girls+&NewsID=435570


For more on Rabin Shrestha & Rabin Chalise, see Pound Pup Legacy:

Nepal Children's Organization (NCO/Bal Mandir) -- child trafficking, corruption and sexual abuse

http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/73445


Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Former Bal Mandir officials convicted of raping three autistic minors (Republica)







Former Bal Mandir officials convicted of raping three autistic minors

Republica

Kamal Pariyar

KATHMANDU, Dec 3: The Kathmandu District Court on Monday convicted two former employees of Bal Mandir on the charge of repeatedly raping three autistic minor girls.

According to the Kathmandu District Court Registrar Shree Prasad Sanjel, a single bench of Justice Pashupati Acharya issued the verdict sentencing the two to sixteen and a half years in jail along with a fine of Rs 100,000 each.

The two convicted are -- Rabin Chalise, 29, chairman of a club of former NCO students and Rabin Shrestha, 43, former employee who headed the adoption department. “The two have been sentenced to sixteen and a half years in jail,” Registrar Sanjel said.

The two convicted had easy access to Bal Mandir, which is also known as Nepal Children´s Organization (NCO), one of the country´s oldest orphanages in the country.

The girls aged 13, 14 and 15 years had complained of being raped on June 14 this year. Following the complaints, the girls were rescued by child rights activists on June 17 from Bal Mandir with the help of Central Investigation Bureau (CIB). The two were arrested on June 20, 2014.

“The charge against them has finally been proven and we hope it would be a good lesson to other orphanages in the country,” Rama Shrestha, a lawyer, who fought the case for the victims, said.

Earlier, CIB under the leadership of DSP Kiran Bajracharya had found that the three minor girls were sexually exploited.

The minors were later shifted to CIWIN, in coordination with the Central Child Welfare Board (CCWB), from the Bal Mandir after an NGO, Action for Child Rights International (ACRI), made a complaint to the police.

ACRI Country Director Salina Tamang expressed happiness over the court´s verdict.

Published on 2014-12-02

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=87830


For more on Rabin Shrestha & Rabin Chalise, see Pound Pup Legacy:

Nepal Children's Organization (NCO/Bal Mandir) -- child trafficking, corruption and sexual abuse

http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/73445


Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Monday, December 1, 2014

Nepal Children's Organization -- NCO/Bal Mandir child rapists sentenced to 16 years in prison







Nepal Children's Organization -- NCO/Bal Mandir child rapists sentenced to 16 years in prison

From -- Action For Child Rights International (ACR-Int):

BREAKING NEWS: WE WON THE CASE AGAINST THE EX-EMPLOYEE AND EX-STUDENT OF BALMANDIR!!!

Case sexual of 3 minors

The judge, Honorable Pashupati Acharya, gave the final verdict on the case of three minors from Balmandir who were sexually abused by an ex employee and ex student. Both have been found guilty and have received 16 years imprisonment and in total each will pay Rs. 100,000 each to the three victims in compensation. We are extremely happy that the girls have been done justice by the court and we would like to thank FWLD, CWISH, CWIN and LACC for their support in this case. The girls can finally feel safe and hope that this will bring some relief for the pain and nightmares they went through. We will follow up the victims the best we can and make sure they receive appropriate guidance. We want to thank especially every person and organisation who showed their support towards the victims! We can't express how happy we are with this result!

http://www.acr-int.org/index.php/en/


For more on Rabin Shrestha & Rabin Chalise, see Pound Pup Legacy:

Nepal Children's Organization (NCO/Bal Mandir) -- child trafficking, corruption and sexual abuse

http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/73445



Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Nepal Children's Organization (NCO/Bal Mandir) -- CIAA files forgery case against former section officer







Fake credential case

The Himalayan Times

KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority on Friday filed a fake credential case against Rabin Shrestha at the Special Court. The anti-graft body said that Shrestha, then section officer of Nepal Children’s Organisation, submitted a fake academic certificate of ‘Intermediate Level (ISc) acquired from Bihar Intermediate Education Board, Patna, India in 1995. The CIAA has demanded action against him as per Section 16(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=IN+BRIEF&NewsID=432049#sthash.kjb7tjfn.dpuf


CIAA files forgery case against former section officer  

Republica

KATHMANDU, Oct 31 : The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a forgery case at the Special Court against, former Section Chief Rabin Shrestha at Nepal Bal Sangathan on Friday.

Issuing a presss tatement the anti-graft body has charge sheeted Shrestha for submitting fake and forged certificate of Intermediate Level (I. Sc), acquired from Bihar Intermediate Education Board, Patna, India in the year 1995 AD for the purpose of promotion.

The Commission has sought maximum punishment under sec 12 and 29 of the former Corruption Control Act, 1961 and sec 16(1) of prevailing Prevention of Corruption Act 2002.

Published on 2014-10-31 19:07:56

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=85726


For more on Rabin Shrestha, see Pound Pup Legacy:

Nepal Children's Organization (NCO/Bal Mandir) -- child trafficking, corruption and sexual abuse

http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/73445


Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Republica -- Bal Mandir minors 'sexually exploited repeatedly'







Bal Mandir minors 'sexually exploited repeatedly' 
 

Republica

Kamal Pariyar


Involvement of accused yet to be verified

KATHMANDU, July 9: On the basis of medical examinations, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police on Wednesday submitted its investigation report to Kathmandu District Attorney with testimonies that three minor girls, students at Bal Mandir, were sexually exploited repeatedly. 

"After a three-week intensified investigation, we have submitted our report with all the testimonies and handed the two accused over to the charge of attorneys for further legal action," SSP Uttam Karki, Acting Chief of CIB, said. "The minors were sexually abused to the full over and over again,” a police source said citing the investigation report. 

Police had arrested the two individuals previously associated with Bal Mandir, also known as Nepal Children´s Organization (NCO), one of the country´s oldest orphanages, and they were remanded to police custody for investigations into rape charges made against them by three minor girls, who are now at a different orphanage. 

It has also come to light that the three girls were medically examined on October 10, 2013 at Patan Hospital. The hospital report also stated that the girls had been sexually abused since one year back.

“I knew that a medical examination was carried out by the then NCO Board, which has now collapsed, but I am sure such alleged abuse never took place within the compound of the Bal Mandir,” Subash Pokharel, general secretary of NCO, said.

There were many minor students that leave the Bal Mandir in the morning for studies and return in the afternoon, General Secretary Pokharel said adding that there were chances of their being abused while they are outside but not while inside the compound. 

CIB had arrested a former NCO student and a former NCO employee -identified as Rabin Chalise and Rabin Shrestha - after the three minor girls living at the Naxal Bal Mandir complained of being sexually exploited. CIB, in coordination with the Central Child Welfare Board (CCWB), had shifted the three girls, who are below 15 years of age, from the Bal Mandir after an NGO, Action for Child Rights International (ACRI), drew the attention of police to the matter. 

During the police investigation, the minor girls said they would be lured with sweets and had been facing exploitation for a long time, according to police. Though the sexual exploition has been proved medically, the involvement of the accused is yet to be verified medically, a police source said.

Chalishe, the chairman of a club of former NCO students, and Shrestha, a former employee, had easy access to the Bal Mandir orphanages but they have been denying any involvement in abuse.

If the accused are proved guilty, they should be duly punished and long-term arrangements made for the education and future safety of the victimized girls, said Salina Tamang, country director of ACRI. 

Students of Bal Mandir last week protested against the public exposure of the 'sexual abuse' charges while CIB investigations were still under way. Police personnel involved in the investigations said Bal Mandir staff were indifferent to the investigations and ignored the complaints of the victims.
 
Published on 2014-07-10

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=78670



For more on the scandal, see Pound Pup Legacy:

Nepal -- Rabin Shrestha (alleged child rapist) & Action for Child Rights International

http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/72721


Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Child predators: Even compared to recent scandals in children’s homes, allegations of abuse at Bal Mandir are shocking (Nepali Times)







Child predators: Even compared to recent scandals in children’s homes, allegations of abuse at Bal Mandir are shocking

Nepali Times

4-10 July 2014

Sunir Pandey

When Sarah Robinson first came to Nepal with her son and niece in 2009, she took time out from sightseeing to visit Bal Mandir in Naxal. At the squalid state-run orphanage, Sarah’s niece happened to pick up a five-year-old blind girl. Sarah, a special-needs teacher back in the UK, decided to adopt the child.

Two years later, Sarah was back in Kathmandu to begin the lengthy and difficult adoption process. Whenever she visited Bal Mandir, the girl’s caretakers would warn her saying the child had “bad karma”, but Sarah was determined to adopt the girl, whom she now called Hope.

One day Hope’s caretaker told Sarah she had spotted blood in the child’s underwear. Both assumed it was diarrhoea. But after examination, doctors at the TU Teaching Hospital said Hope had been raped. When they questioned her, Hope told them she and “Rabin uncle” loved each other.

Rabin Shrestha was in charge of adoptions when Sarah applied for papers for Hope. “I tried to adopt her, but Shrestha told me I couldn’t do that. He wanted me to sponsor her instead and told me I would get a decision after she turned 16,” Sarah told Nepali Times.

It had already crossed the 35-day statute of limitation on rape when Sarah finally filed a case against Shrestha (she was afraid he could deny her Hope if she accused him) so she only filed an FIR with police on grounds of sexual abuse. Shrestha was issued a warning in 2012, but not arrested.

On 16 June, Rabin Shrestha, now an ex-employee since a year and a half, and Rabin Chalise, an ex-student who ran a youth club at the shelter, were arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) again after child rights activists presented new evidence of repeated rape and abuse of other girls and boys at the orphanage.

According to the testimony of three autistic girls, the men would introduce themselves to the children as Bollywood film stars Amitabh and Abhisek Bachchan and would lure them into drinking alcohol and watching pornography before abusing them, the latest incident occured three days before their arrest.

They would organise ‘wedding ceremonies’ every Saturday and dress the girls in red saris and have them dance to brass-band wedding music. One of them would spray water on the girls, who would then be forced to take off their wet clothes. This occurred during the afternoons, when Shrestha got a free pass at the orphanage. In the evenings, Shrestha used to take the children to a bar in Thamel where they were groomed to be prostitutes, according to children’s accounts.

These detailed testimonies were presented to the CIB by child rights activists from ACR-Int (Action for Child Rights International). The evidence was cross-checked for veracity, and was so compelling that Shrestha and Chalise were arrested right away, while a third man was questioned but couldn’t be detained because of lack of evidence.

Lawyer Sapana Pradhan Malla, who is fighting Sarah’s case, says this new evidence might help them get the Supreme Court to order the police to register and file a rape case against Shrestha. They have also listed five other pleas: amendment to the 35-day limit, a mandamus order to not dismiss the case, to teach children about sexual abuse, to set up a child-abuse monitoring system at Bal Mandir and for the Central Children’s Welfare Board to come up with a manual for regulation. A hearing scheduled for 3 July at the SC was again postponed to 3 December.

Shrestha and Chalise, both right now in police custody, have denied the allegations against them. We asked Subash Kumar Pokharel, General Secretary of Bal Mandir, how an ex-employee could go in and out of Bal Mandir, but he was evasive.

Instead, he accused ACR-International of using Bal Mandir’s children against the institution that protected them. Some Bal Mandir alumni also protested outside the office of ACR-I in Kuleswor on Wednesday accusing activists of using the case for fund-raising.

“Since the police are investigating this case, I don’t want to say anything and influence their decisions. But we have written to them that we will fully cooperate with the investigation,” Pokharel told us.

The CIB refused to comment because it said investigations were ongoing. It has until 10 July to file a case, after which Shrestha and Chalise will have to be released.

Names of Sarah and Hope have been changed for safety and privacy reasons.



________________________________

Sacred to profane

Established in 1964 to take care of orphans and abandoned children, Bal Mandir was a powerful institution with royal patronage. With Queen Ratna at the helm, it put together buildings and 50 ropanis of property which are now prime real estate.

Administered by the quasi-NGO, Nepal Children’s Organisation (NCO), Bal Mandirs across the country today take care of over 600 children in 11 homes. Since the loss of its royal backing, the NCO has been plagued by political interference and corruption. Its buildings and property have been leased out to private individuals, amidst allegations of huge kickbacks to political appointees in the NCO.

In 2011, the Public Accounts Committee of the legislature parliament ordered the NCO to systematise its lease process. Seeing the conditions at Bal Mandir, the Australian charity Mitrataa Foundation agreed to manage the orphanages for five years in 2009, but pulled out within 12 months because of widespread corruption and mismanagement at the NCO.

‘We had to cancel the project as we were not confident that we would be able to deliver on the objectives without risking Mitrataa’s reputation as an organisation that refuses to pay bribes,’ the charity says in an online post. One former Bal Mandir employee says the shelter has been involved in “selling babies” in the guise of adoptions, with its managers taking a cut.

When allegations of child trafficking made international headlines, the government suspended inter-country adoptions in 2007 before lifting the self-imposed ban in 2009. In February 2010, the Hague Conference on Private International Law, released a report saying Nepal’s adoption system had gross irregularities and fell short of Hague Convention standards. Among other recommendations, the report advised better regulations of children’s homes and elimination of ‘financial gain from inter-country adoption’. Eleven countries including the US and UK then banned adoptions from Nepal.

The NCO’s Subash Kumar Pokharel denies all allegations of corruption and abuse. He says: “There is no other orphanage in Nepal better run than Bal Mandir. If any one finds proof of corruption or abuse, I will resign.”

Read also:

Child predators detained, Sunir Pandey and Trishna Rana

(Un)happy homes, Sunir Pandey

Selling sympathy, Bhrikuti Rai

At the mercy of mercenaries, Trishna Rana


From Nepali Times:



For more on the scandal, see Pound Pup Legacy:

Nepal — Rabin Shrestha (alleged child rapist) & Action for Child Rights International





Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Sunday, June 29, 2014

CIB investigating sexual abuse of Balmandir girls (The Himalayan Times)







CIB investigating sexual abuse of Balmandir girls

Says it is gathering supportive documents

The Himalayan Times

2014-06-28

KATHMANDU: The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal police has said it is collecting supportive documents in relation to an alleged sexual abuse case in Balmandir, a children’s home based in Kathmandu.

Following a complaint lodged by Action for Child Rights International-Nepal (ACRI-Nepal), an INGO, the apex investigating body of the law enforcement agency on June 17 had detained Rabin Shrestha, a previous employee of Balmandir, and Rabin Chalise, incumbent president of Balmandir Club, an NGO, on charge of sexually abusing three young girls of Balmandir. “We are collecting supportive documents. If they are found guilty, they will certainly face legal action,” said SP Suresh Bikram Shah of CIB said. “Investigation into the case is under way.” Kathmandu District Court has already remanded the duo to custody.

“As per the law, we can put the accused in custody for a maximum of 25 days. If they are found guilty in course of investigation, we will produce them before court within next 20 days,” added SP Shah, stopping short of giving further details on ongoing investigation.

According to ACRI-N, it had reported the case after receiving the ‘testimonies’ of three young girls, who were living in Balmandir, with allegations of repeated rape and abuse. Acting on the report, CIB had earlier arrested three main suspects for interrogation but had later released one.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=CIB+investigating+sexual+abuse+of+Balmandir+girls&NewsID=419648


For more on the scandal, see Pound Pup Legacy:


Nepal — Rabin Shrestha (alleged child rapist) & Action for Child Rights International

http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/72721




Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Child predators detained (Nepali Times)







Child predators detained

Nepali Times

Saturday, June 28th, 2014

Two men working in an orphanage in Kathmandu have been arrested and are facing trial next week accused of sexually abusing children in their charge.

Rabin Shrestha, former head of the adoptions at Bal Mandir, and Rabin Chalise, an ex-student who ran a Youth Club at the shelter, were arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) last week after child rights activists presented evidence of repeated rape and abuse of girls and boys at the orphanage.

Shrestha had been arrested before in 2012 after a British woman lodged a complaint against him for allegedly raping a five-year-old blind girl that she was going to adopt.

“I tried to adopt her, but Shrestha told me I couldn’t do that. He wanted me to sponsor her instead and told me I would get a decision after she turned 16,” the mother told Nepali Times this week.

A Bal Mandir caretaker had informed her then that the girl was bleeding, and after examination a doctor confirmed she had been raped. Shrestha and Chalise are now also accused of also raping three other autistic girls at Bal Mandir, using other orphans for prostitution, and also abusing two young boys. Another unknown accomplice is at large.

The three men introduced themselves to the children as Bollywood film stars Amitabh and Abhisek Bachchan and would lure them into drinking alcohol and watching pornography before abusing them, activists say.

They would organise 'wedding ceremonies' every Saturday and dress the girls in red saris and play brass-band wedding music. One of them would spray water on the girls, who would then be forced to take off their wet clothes. This occurred during the afternoons, when Shrestha got a free pass at the orphanage. In the evenings, Shrestha used to take the children to a bar in Thamel where they were groomed to be prostitutes, according to children's accounts.

These detailed testimonies were presented to the CIB by child rights activists from ACR-Int (Action for Child Rights International). The evidence was cross-checked for veracity, and was so compelling that Shrestha and Chalise were arrested right away.

The British woman, who did not want to be named, also says her vision-impaired adopted daughter was tortured while in the shelter and suffered psychological trauma. She used to be tied up and hung from a tree, or lowered into a hole in the ground.

Both Shrestha and Chalise have denied the allegations and the Nepal Children’s Organisation that runs the Bal Mandir orphanage says neither men are involved with the orphanage. This is contrary to the British woman’s testimony that Shrestha had met her about adoption procedures. The CIB refused to comment because it said investigations were still ongoing.

Shrestha and Chalise were remanded in custody for another week on Thursday, and are due to appear in court on 3 July. The scandal follows a series of reports of abuse and trafficking at orphanages and shelters in Kathmandu.

The Bal Mandir is responsible for over 600 children in 11 homes across Nepal and is administered by the Nepal Children’s Organisation which has been mired in charges of corruption and abuse. In 2010, the Australian charity Mitrataa Foundation which had agreed to manage the orphanages pulled out because of corruption and mismanagement.

'Unfortunately, due to severe corruption within NCO, we had to cancel the project as we were not confident that we would be able to deliver on the objectives without risking Mitrataa’s reputation as an organisation that refuses to pay bribes,' the charity says in an online post.

Sunir Pandey and Trishna Rana




For more on the scandal, see Pound Pup Legacy:

Nepal — Rabin Shrestha (alleged child rapist) & Action for Child Rights International






Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Friday, June 27, 2014

Nepal adoptions chief raped and groomed orphans for prostitution (The Daily Telegraph)







Nepal adoptions chief raped and groomed orphans for prostitution, claims British teacher

The Daily Telegraph

A British woman who adopted a five year old blind girl from a Nepalese orphanage believes she uncovered an abuse and vice ring after her new daughter said she’d been raped every Saturday

By Dean Nelson, New Delhi and Anil Giri in Kathmandu

27 Jun 2014

The former head of international adoptions at Nepal’s largest orphanage is in custody over allegations that he raped young girls and groomed them as prostitutes in Kathmandu dance bars.

One of the alleged victims was a five-year-old blind girl who who was later adopted by a British teacher. Three others suffer from autism and severe learning difficulties.

According to the girls, they and two young boys at the orphanage were sexually abused and raped every Saturday when the adoptions chief, Rabin Shrestha and his friend throw ‘birthday’ and ‘wedding’ parties at Kathmandu's Bal Mandir children’s home.

The older girls, aged 13 and 14, were dressed in bridal gowns and then made to consummate their "marriages" with Shrestha and an associate. They were also forced to sexually abuse two four year old boys, it is claimed.

The allegations emerged after a British special needs teacher visited the orphanage and became concerned for a five-year-old blind girl who was neglected by staff. She and her niece were told not to hold the girl because her blindness would bring “bad karma”.

Related Articles

Indian preacher and the fake orphan scandal 

28 Oct 2011

Nepal admits half its orphanages 'selling' children for adoption by couples abroad 

12 Mar 2007

Orphanages in 'children for sale' racket 

10 Mar 2007

The teacher, who married a Nepali man in the early 1990s, later adopted the girl but during the adoption process a female "house mother" told her the girl had been bleeding heavily from her genitals.

The girl initially said she had fallen but later told her that she and Shrestha were lovers who fed each other plums. “’I know Rabin uncle and he is my lover, he feeds me plums and I feed him plums and he touches me and I touch him’, she told me”, the teacher told campaigners.

When her daughter was alone with him, he threw "birthday tea" parties at which he sexually abused and raped her, and when she was with the older girls he would stage "wedding ceremonies" in which they would be raped and forced to abuse two young boys.

The experience had left her daughter psychologically damaged. “She now thinks that every Saturday is her birthday”, she said, and is terrified by the sound of Nepali wedding bands. “If she hears the band in the street she covers her ears and crouches down on the ground and screams”, she told children’s rights activists.

The girls were regularly taken to "dance bars" in Kathmandu’s seedy Thamel red light district where they were given alcoholic drinks and groomed as prostitutes.

Mr Shrestha and another orphanage official were arrested and taken into custody last week after the campaign group Action for Child Rights International (ACR-Int) handed over a dossier of evidence to the police.

Superintendent Pitamber Adhikari of Nepal’s Central Investigation Bureau confirmed the arrests and said the two men are under investigation. They have denied the allegations against them while the Bal Mandir home rejected any connection with them. The suspects are expected to appear in court next week.

The British teacher said she could not comment on the case until after next week’s hearing.

Lieutenant-Colonel (Rtd) Philip Holmes, a leading anti-child abuse trafficking campaigner said the sexual abuse alleged at Bal Mandir was widespread in Nepal.

“This case is by no means unique and we will continue to support ACR-Int as it rescues children and brings paedophiles to justice”, he said.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/nepal/10931141/Nepal-adoptions-chief-raped-and-groomed-orphans-for-prostitution-claims-British-teacher.html


For more on the scandal, see PEAR Nepal:

Nepal Children's Organization -- former head of NCO/Bal Mandir adoptions arrested for child rape

http://pearadoptinfo-nepal.blogspot.com/2014/06/nepal-childrens-organization-former.html



Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Monday, June 23, 2014

Nepal Children's Organization -- former head of NCO/Bal Mandir adoptions arrested for child rape








Nepal Children's Organization -- former head of NCO/Bal Mandir adoptions arrested for child rape.


Kathmandu Post:

Two held on rape charge


KATHMANDU: Two suspects have been arrested behind alleged rape of three young girls living in a public orphanage, Nepal Children’s Organisation, popularly known as Balmandir. Police arrested Rabin Shrestha, a former employee of Balmandir, and Rabin Chalise, the current president of Balmandir Club, following the complaints of rape and sexual abuse at the orphanage lodged by Action for Child Rights International-Nepal. (PR) 

Posted on: 2014-06-21 08:54

http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2014/06/20/news/news-digest/264130.html


Action for Child Rights International Nepal

Press Release:

Police Investigate Rape at Orphanage

KATHMANDU, June 20th, 2014. Action for Child Rights International-Nepal (ACRI/Nepal) feels obliged to break the silence regarding the current police investigation into the alleged abuse of three young girls, due to the ongoing harassments directed at the organization.

On Tuesday, June 17th, 2014, ACRI/Nepal received the testimonies of three young girls who are residents of Nepal Children’s Organization, Balmandir, with allegations of repeated rape and abuse. Due to the severity of the allegations, ACRI/Nepal felt it necessary to report the incidents to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) immediately.

Based on the horrific nature of the testimonies given by the girls, describing the vulgar acts repeatedly taken upon them, the CIB brought the three main suspects in for questioning that same day.

The initial investigation and medical evidence proved strong enough for the police to arrest two of the suspects; Rabin Shrestha, a previous employee of Balmandir, and Rabin Chalise, the current president of the NGO Balmandir Club and previous student of Balmandir. Both are currently being held in custody as the investigation continues.

Although ACRI/Nepal is greatly impressed by the professionalism and drive of the CIB investigators working on the case, we are concerned about the onslaught of harassments directed toward them and our own team.

After receiving the testimonies of the young girls, ACRI/Nepal considered it our ethical duty and responsibility to report such information to the authorities, as it would be of any other person or organization.

Regardless of how shocked those involved may be at the moment, we have faith that all parties will fully cooperate with the CIB and police and take the responsibility of supporting the investigation. Not only to prosecute the accused and support the victims, but to ensure the safety to all of the other young girls currently living in Balmandir.

Therefore, ACRI/Nepal requests that all those involved will regain their composure and immediately stop the unnecessary harassments directed toward the CIB, police and our team. The only thing being asked is the opportunity for the police to carry out a professional investigation. There are no ulterior motives or personal attacks directed toward any specific person or organization. The only concern of ACRI/Nepal is that of the victims and their right to justice.

About Action for Child Rights International Nepal

Action for Child Rights International Nepal is a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the rights of children and their families in Nepal. Our main focus is on children whose rights have been violated while under the care of child care institutions. With teams in Antwerp and Kathmandu, ACRI/Nepal utilizes its international strength to apply pressure where needed and take the necessary actions to defend each victim individually. Through strategic public campaigns, both locally and internationally, ACRI/Nepal strives to inform the public on the ongoing issues facing child protection issues and provide solutions and resources for those in need. For more information, please visit: www.acr-int.org

Media Information

Contact: Salina Tamang
Email: tamang.actionforchildrights@yahoo.com
Website: www.acr-int.org
Address: Chunnebhairab Marg, Kuleshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal

http://www.acr-int.org/images/Police%20Investigate%20Rape%20at%20Orphanage.pdf


Ex-Bal Mandir Employee, Student Held On Rape Charge

Republica


KATHMANDU, June 18: Two individuals previously associated with Nepal Children's Organization (NCO), one of the country's oldest orphanages, have been taken under control by police for investigations into a rape charge leveled against them by three minor girls.


The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police arrested a former NCO student and a former NCO employee - identified as Rabin Chalise and Rabin Shrestha respectively - after three minor girls living in NCO´s Naxal orphanage, also known as Nepal Bal Mandir, complained about being sexually exploited.

SP Pitambar Adhikari, spokesperson for the CIB, confirmed the arrest of Chalise and Shrestha but refused to divulge details. "Both are now in our custody for investigations," said Adhikari. "But, we are not yet in a position to divulge any details."

A team of CIB officials had arrested the two on Tuesday. The same day, the CIB, in coordination with the Central Child Welfare Board (CCWB), shifted the three minor girls to a safe house run by some other NGO. All three girls are believed to be below 15 years of age. They say they had been facing exploitation for a long time but mustered the courage to speak up only recently.

Subash Pokharel, general secretary of NCO, however, maintained that none of the girls living in any Bal Mandir orphanage has had to be rescued in recent weeks. "All the girls are with us," he said. He also claimed that neither Chalishe nor Shrestha are associated with the NCO. "I don´t know what ties they had with NCO in the past," he said. "They are currently not affiliated with us. Whether they had any ties with the NCO in the past makes no difference. Whatever they do should not be linked with us."

However, sources said that Chalishe is chairman of a club of former NCO students and enjoyed easy access to the Bal Mandir orphanages. As for Pokharel´s denial of rescue of the three minor girls, a CIB official involved in the investigation said that the girls are officially still with NCO. "They have been shifted just for the time being," said the official. "We did it considering the possibility that their continuing stay at the same orphanage might affect our investigations in some way."

The CIB swung into action after Action for Child Rights International (ACRI), an NGO, drew police attention to the matter. In a statement issued on Friday, ACRI said that initial investigations and medical evidence were strong enough ground for the police to arrest Chalishe and Shrestha.

Published on 2014-06-20 22:00:00


http://web.archive.org/web/20140622115201/http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/printable_news.php?news_id=77477



Rabin Shrestha (one of the alleged child rapists) was the longtime head of NCO/Bal Mandir adoptions.

October 2012:

Rabin Shrestha
Act. Section Chief
Adoption Section
Nepal Children’s Organization
Bal Mandir, Naxal, P.O. Box: 6967 Kathmandu Nepal Tel: 977-1-4410844 Fax: 977-1-4414485

From:


Photo -- Rabin (on left) receiving educational materials for Bal Mandir:


From:



NCO website (Internet Archive -- June 2010):

Rabin Shrestha

Acting Chief, Adoption Section



Even back in 2004, Rabin was working for NCO -- here helping an American family adopt a son:

'Who are you here for?'

Vail Daily

KATHMANDU, Nepal - It was almost two years to the day after we started taking adoption classes that Yogendra first pointed his smile directly at us. A human sunbeam. After flying halfway around the world, we were jet-lagged, over-caffeinated and jumpy. After two years of frustration, filling out forms and riding an emotional roller coaster, we were finally in Bal Mandir orphanage (pronounced "Ball Mandeer"). When you climb out of the car at the orphanage's front doors, adorable children rush up to you shouting, "What country? What country?" "America," we responded. "Ah, America!" they replied. "Who are you here for?" "Yogendra," we answered. "Yogendra is going to America!" they shout excitedly to each other, bouncing up and down. A child brought to Bal Mandir the same day as Yogendra was on his way to Italy. Another girl they know is on her way to Spain. A girl from another orphanage, whose adopting parents were on the same flights to Kathmandu as we were, is in Oklahoma. She seemed happy to go. They all seem happy to go. Chatting nervously with orphanage director Rabin Shrestha in his office, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye: A tiny boy appeared from around the corner, materializing all eyes and smile. He stood smiling for a moment, crawled into my lap, put his head on my shoulder and whispered, "daddy." We hugged and I passed him over to my wife. He put his arms around her neck and whispered, "mommy." We passed him over to our 13-year-old daughter, Morgan. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered "diddi," the Nepalese word for older sister.

I was a puddle, everyone was in tears, even Rabin who sees this every day. I looked at Yogi and said, of all things: "What color car do you want?" Adopting an older child from a foreign country is a little like picking up a lay-away package. You pay some fees, fill out a couple final forms and they hand him over. From that moment on, he's yours. The problems this one came with were medical and minor, not emotional, though all the experts tell us he's supposed of have a bunch of abandonment and attachment issues. About an hour and a half later, my daughter, Morgan, was carrying him in her arms out Bal Mandir's front doors while I followed, filming the event. He smiled and waved to the camera, he smiled and waved to the other kids, he smiled and waved to the staff. He jumped into the car to leave forever. Moments later, the driver motored out Bal Mandir's front gates with Yogendra in the back seat facing forward toward his new life. He did not look back. He did not stop smiling. Bleak choices About 10 days later, the night before we were to fly to Colorado on the other side of the world, we struck up a conversation with a bellman in our hotel. He asked Yogendra if he knew what was happening the next day. In Nepalese he replied, "I'm getting on an airplane and going to America with my family." That bellman was about the only Nepali Yogendra would talk to, so we asked him to prod the boy for a little of his life's story. It's not a happy story. As close as anyone can place it, he's 5, which means he's not old enough to remember much of the turmoil engulfing the country - the Maoist revolution to overthrow Nepal's government. His home province, however, was one of the first places the Maoists swept through. He said his parents are old, although it's not clear if he's talking about his Nepali parents or us. He said his mother is dead, and that a man - some sort of male authority figure - brought him to Kathmandu.

He told the bellman, in Nepalese, that he's from a part of Nepal called Jumla. He said it took a long time to travel. "Days," he said, although he is not sure how many. We scrambled for a map and with the bellman's help we learned that Jumla is both a province and a village in remote western Nepal. The bellman patiently explained that the village is at least a two-day walk from the nearest passable road. Yogendra and the man who hauled him had to get to that road, where they could catch a bus. They rode that bus at least two days to reach Kathmandu. It took a day or so for the man to learn the best part of the city in which he could leave Yogendra so the boy would be found quickly. With a Himalayan winter approaching and unrest all around, the choices appeared bleak: freeze to death or starve to death. Whoever this man was - maybe his father - he did the tough thing: He transported this boy to safety and a chance at life. No one knows how long it really took them to get to Kathmandu, how long it took to find the correct part of the city, how long they were there together, how long Yogendra was alone - or if that's what happened at all. No one knows what happened to that brave man. No one will ever know. All anyone knows for certain is that when the police finally found Yogendra, huddled in a concrete corner, he was crying, screaming and all he could tell them was his first name. And we know that he is ours, and that we're just as lucky as he. The police picked up six other kids the same day in the same part of the city. That was Nov. 1, 2003. 

From:



Now Nepal Children's Organization (Nepal Bal Sangathan -- commonly known as Bal Mandir) is arguably the most controversial NGO in South Asia.

It has long been the center of child trafficking allegations.

See:

Nepal -- Victims of Balmandir (Pound Pup Legacy):


"It is known that in the process of selling children and taking commission present office secretary Rajeshwor Niraula, President Rita Singh Baidya, employee Ram Krishna Subedi, some police personnel and some child trafficking agents are involved."

also

Paper Orphans documentary posted on the web (PEAR Nepal):


The Terre des hommes/Image Ark documentary on adoption trafficking in Humla (reputed NCO/Bal Mandir kidnappings). Some Humli children ended up in India -- others in the inter-country adoption trade.

and

Children for sale (Al Jazeera):


The documentary opens with a Bal Mandir case.


The NGO also faces allegations of corruption.

See:


Corruption at Nepal Children's Organization (NCO/Bal Mandir):


"Unfortunately, due to severe corruption within NCO, we had to cancel the project as we were not confident that we would be able to deliver on the objectives without risking Mitrataa’s reputation as an organisation that refuses to pay bribes."


In 2006, the French Foreign Service formally blacklisted NCO/Bal Mandir:

En raison d’une succession de dossiers d’adoption problématiques, et après divers témoignages négatifs de familles adoptantes, il est formellement déconseillé aux familles candidates à une adoption au Népal d’effectuer des démarches auprès des orphelinats « Swastik » et « Nepal Children’s Organization », également dénommé « Bal Mandir ».

Les témoignages recueillis par l’Ambassade de France à Kathmandou font en effet état de sollicitations financières inacceptables, de grande opacité et de lenteurs inexpliquées dans le déroulement des procédures d’adoption menées auprès de ces orphelinats.

Compte tenu du contexte actuel des adoptions au Népal, les familles candidates à une adoption dans ce pays sont invitées à observer la plus grande vigilance dans la conduite de leur procédure.



The chairman of Nepal Children's Organization is Reeta Singh Vaidya:

Board of Directors

Reeta Singh Vaidya
Chairperson

Tulasi Narayan Shrestha
Vice President

Subash K Pokharel
General Secretary

Manohar Gopal Shrestha
Treasurer

Suman Shakya
Deputy General Secretary

Deepak Das Shrestha
Deputy Tresurer

Ashaok Jashwal
Member

Bir Singh Karki
Member

Bishnu Bahadur Shahi
Member

Chij Kumar Shrestha
Member

Dharmendra Paswan
Member

Dhurba Kunwar
Member

Kamal Deep Shrestha
Member

Kiran Babu Shrestha
Member

Krishna Shankar Shah
Member

Menuka Joshi
Member

Raju Aryal
Member

Narayan Shrestha
Member

Sanat Karki
Member



Reeta Singh Vaidya is the sister of Prakash Man Singh (the current Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal and the General Secretary of the Nepali Congress Party):


Reeta and Prakash Man Singh are children of the late Ganesh Man Singh -- the "Father of Democracy" in Nepal:



Reeta Singh Vaidya (also known as Rita Singh Vaidya, Rita Singh Baidya, Reeta Singh Baidya, Rita Singh Baidhya, or Reeta Singh Baidhya) is a member of the Child NGO Federation Nepal, another controversial organization in Kathmandu.

She is listed as the contact for the:

Bir Ganeshman Bal Prativa Puraskar Trust 

Mrs. Reeta Singh Baidya


(A trust in memory of the late Ganesh Man Singh.)


The Kathmandu Post:

Ganeshman Singh Trust to award Bipaswi

On the occasion of the 96th birth anniversary of the late Nepali Congress leader, Bir Ganeshman Singh Children’s Talent Award Trust on Saturday announced to honour 10-year-old Bipaswi Poudyal.

Organising a press conference, Rita Singh Baidhya, president of the executive committee of the Trust, said that Poudyal would be given the Bir Ganeshman Singh Children’s Talent Award 2011 for showing extraordinary talent in the world stage and bagging the titles of Little Miss World Nepal 2011 and Little Miss World 2011. "She has contributed a lot in increasing the country’s pride," she said.



Former NCO/Bal Mandir board member and controversial adoption facilitator Prachanda Raj Pradhan represents the Ganeshman Singh Trust on the CNFN Executive Committee:

Mr. Prachanda Raj Pradhan, I P President

Bir Ganeshman Bal Prativa Puraskar Trust



In 2010, eight embassies wrote asking that the CNFN be removed from all adoption related activities. Pradhan, then head of the CNFN, accused the embassies of being "revengeful."

For more on the Child NGO Federation Nepal, see PEAR Nepal:

Prachanda Raj Pradhan -- head of the Child NGO Federation Nepal (CNFN) 



Pradhan is currently Vice-chairman of the Nepal Law Commission:



While current CNFN Vice-chairman Dilli Ram Giri heads the Central Child Welfare Board:



Child NGO Federation Nepal -- Executive Committee:
   
Chairperson
Mr. Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal
Mahendra Narayan Nedhi Memorial Foundation (MNNMF)

Vice Chairperson
Mr. Dilli Ram Giri
Society for Integrated Allied - Nepal (SIAN)

Vice Chairperson
Mrs. Pratima Pathak Mudhvary
Women for Women Forum

General Secretary
Mr. Manoj Kumar Kandel
Aama Nepal

Secretary
Mr. Kedar Dahal
World Wide Organization for Relations and Link Development-Nepal - Children Home (WORLD Nepal)

Treasurer
Mr. Ramesh Dhamala
Sahara Group


Executive Members

Mr. Prachanda Raj Pradhan, I P President
Bir Ganeshman Bal Prativa Puraskar Trust

Mr. Dhirendra Lamsal
Network for Children, Prisoners and Dependants (NCPD)

Mr. Maniraj Shrestha
Portage and Rehabilitation Association Nepal (PRAN)

Mrs. Aruna Karmacharya
Society for Each Other

Mrs. Sulochana Sharma Sigdel
Shakarya Nepal, Kaski

Mr. Suresh Kumar Bhatta
Nepal Children Orphan Home (NECO-HOME)

Ms. Sushma Pokharel
S O S - Children Village Nepal

Mrs. Sadhana Ghimire
Nepal Child Development Center (NCDC)

Mr. Yubaraj Bidrohi
Forum for Child Concern in Nepal

Ms. Chandra Prabha Upadhaya
Social Development Campaign, Nepal
   


For more on CNFN Secretary Kedar Dahal and CNFN General Secretary Manoj Kumar Kandel, see Trade of Children (PEAR Nepal):


Kedar Dahal is also a former NCO/Bal Mandir board member:



Update -- 1 July 2014

For more on the scandal, see Pound Pup Legacy:


Nepal — Rabin Shrestha (alleged child rapist) & Action for Child Rights International

http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/72721







Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/