Sunita Tamang (name changed), 13, of Kavrepalanchowk, who was rescued from Duwakot, Bhaktapur, by the Metropolitan Police Circle, Thimi 10 days ago has accused her employer of raping her.

Though the police sent the girl to the Balbalika Khojtalash Kendra, a unit of Nepal Police, without investigating into her allegations, Tamang claimed that she was sexually abused and left there unattended in the midnight.

“Tamang had come to capital two years ago as a domestic help. After being continually “abused sexually” she found a new employer. But that did not end her plight,” said an official at Balbalika Khojtalas Kendra.

Tamang worked at a carpet factory in Sallaghari, Bhaktapur. Tamang claimed she was raped by her employer at his house in Bauddha and left unattended at Duwakot in the midnight. The police have arrested the accused.

The Balbalika Khojtalash Kendra said 1,261 children (675 boys and 486 girls) have gone missing in the past one year from the capital.

“Of those missing, most are domestic helps. Most of them have fled from their master´s home after being unable to cope with the torture meted out to them,” Suman Pandit, assistant program coordinator of the unit, said. He said of those missing 1,112 have been found. Hundreds of impoverished children come to the capital to work as domestic help every year. But the police do not keep their records.

“As per the law, an employer is not obliged to inform the police about his domestic help,” Pradeep Dongol, a child rights officer, at Children - Women in Social Service and Human Rights, said. The law does not permit one to employ a child below 14 years as domestic help. “So they do not inform the police if their minor domestic help goes missing,” Dongol added.

The police said most of the missing children are aged between 14-16 years. As many as 794 children under the age group have gone missing in the past one year. Of them 457 are girls. The record shows that 386 children aged between 17-18 years have also gone missing and of them 302 are girls.

Published on: 9 April 2012 | Republica