Street children exist in all of Nepal’s major cities and towns. As the population grows, and urban poverty spreads, the number of children living and working on the streets is increasing. Because of the extreme nature of their situations and lack of adult support, many street children are misused and exploited. Ultimately, most of these children remain trapped in the vicious cycle of street life, and often with very limited support.
Due to the current political situation and recent armed conflict, the number of street children has increased. Though there is no current, reliable estimate into the number of children living on the streets, it is clear that numbers are considerably more than they were before the conflict situation escalated – much of this is a result of the large number of displaced people from village areas across Nepal.
There are obviously many hardships that street children face, but one of the greatest challenges is the general misunderstanding by society. Street children are negatively viewed and stigmatized by many people, and often labeled with the derogatory term "Khate." Ultimately, this social misunderstanding makes it extremely difficult for street children to leave the street and become respected members of the community they live in.
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