THE GOLDEN ANGEL EMERGENCY HOME for rescued trafficked and sexually exploited children, the first of its kind in Nepal, opened in December 2016. This desperately needed groundbreaking emergency shelter was created and funded by the One Golden Angel Charity in memory of artist and poet Maureen Wilkinson, who sadly passed away in October 2015.
A SAFE HAVEN: The Emergency Home provides a safe haven for 6 - 10 rescued exploited minors and adolescents, all girls, for up to 3 months. The health and welfare needs of rescued children are assessed during their stay and they are then either re-united with their families or placed in long-term residential shelters or care homes where they receive love, counseling, education and vocational training, and learn to face the future with confidence, self-worth and dignity.
THE CHILDREN: The Emergency Home has rescued over 50 children to date including a 9-year-old found accompanying her older sister to a ‘massage parlour’, a 12-year-old raped by her uncle, an abandoned 16-year-old wife with her 3-year-old child found walking the streets of Kathmandu, and trafficked teenage sex workers rescued from dance bars and cabin restaurants in Nepal’s so-called ‘adult entertainment industry’ where they were commercially and sexually exploited. Several children have since been successfully reunited with their families, some have been rehomed or placed in long-term care, while others have found alternative employment after receiving vocational training.
THE ACCOMMODATION: The home is based in a comfortable and secure house in a quiet suburb of Kathmandu, and comprises a large kitchen/diner, sitting room with T.V., 2 bedrooms, counseling room, 2 bathrooms, and a prayer/shrine area. There is also a small courtyard and vegetable garden, and potential for expansion into further accommodation on the ground floor at additional cost.
FUNDING: The charity has furnished and equipped the home from scratch, and has paid the salaries of a full-time live-in Warden and a Supervising Psychologist, as well as the home's annual running costs including rent, food, gas, electricity and telephone. The charity also purchases clothing as required, and funds occasional group outings and birthday treats. There are always demands for new resources such as a laptop, art materials, school stationery and transport.
MANAGEMENT: The shelter is managed in partnership with the excellent Non-Government Organization CAP-Nepal who provide the Emergency Response Service supported by their team of professional healthcare and social workers, counselors, therapists and psychologists. They also provide the legal framework necessary for the care of minors, coordinate with the police and other NGOs regarding admissions, placements and vocational training, as well as providing healthcare and sanitary products to the residents. The Emergency Home is proving a great success. It was initially thought that most of the admissions would be children in their mid to late teens, but it now appears that minors are among the most vulnerable and at risk, and our provision and resources are being adapted and developed to meet the needs of these younger children. It is also proving difficult to find residential placements for some of our rescued children after their emergency period is up, and more vocational training is needed. My hope is to open a second Golden Angel Emergency Home as soon as funds permit.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
After rescuing and rehabilitating around 50 young trafficking victims over a 3-year period, it was reluctantly decided in 2019 to merge the Golden Angel Emergency Shelter with CAP-Nepal’s long-term children’s home. New government rules made referrals to other care agencies virtually impossible when our children’s emergency period was up. Furthermore, our formal status as an emergency shelter now compelled us to accommodate anyone the police brought us regardless of their addictions, behaviour or mental health, or the disruption they might cause to existing residents. With the shelter full, and nowhere for the children to move on to, it became impossible to function as an emergency shelter for newly rescued children, and sadly the Golden Angel Emergency Shelter, despite the desperate need, was doomed.
Unfortunately, the trauma and social stigma suffered by victims of trafficking and sexual abuse often results in them being unable to return home to their families and communities, so One Golden Angel has shifted its focus from emergency residential care to education and vocational training for survivors of trafficking, and to other humanitarian projects, notably helping desperately needy individuals and families in crisis, and sponsoring orphanages such as the Humanitarian Concern Centre.
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