Kathmandu. Minister for Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security Sita Badi has said that the government will take responsibility for the long-term care of children who have lost their parents due to the Bhotekoshi disaster and are in need of special protection. Minister Badi said this while issuing a message of best wishes on the occasion of National Children’s Day 2083.

She said that many families have been affected by the Bhotekoshi floods and some children have lost their loved ones and are being treated for injuries. She said that the government has given high priority to the rescue, protection, health treatment, psychosocial support and reunification of children separated from their families and in need of protection.

Minister Badi said that it is the responsibility of the government to protect the children who have lost their parents and are in need of special protection.

According to him, a temporary protection service center has been set up and brought into operation for children in need of special protection at The cho in Godavari Municipality of Lalitpur. The center will provide housing, food, health treatment, psychosocial support, family search and family reun ification. She also said that the long-term protection needs of the children will be identified and appropriate arrangements will be made.

Minister Badi said that priority has been given to the privacy, dignity and safety of children in flood-affected areas and holding centers. She also said that facilitation teams have been deployed at the local levels of the affected districts and at the places where the children are kept, for their condition, identification, detailed assessment and necessary protection services.

Stating that the government has implemented a long-term care plan for children who have lost their parents in the disaster and are in need of special protection, Minister Badi expressed her commitment that no child should have to feel lone ly and unsafe . She said that it is the common responsibility of not only the government but also parents, schools, communities, media, civil society, private sector and organizations working in the field of child rights to protect children from violence, abuse , exploitation, trafficking and insecurity.