From Adversity to Resilience: A Narrative Inquiry into the Lives of Child Correction Home in Nepal

Abstract

In 2017, I joined the Secretariat of the Central Child Justice Committee as the Program Officer. My role is to assist. The committee is to act as the coordinating officer among district courts, the Child Court, and Child Correction homes in Nepal regarding children in conflict with the law. While I was performing my role, I reviewed various publications on child-related legal cases. I was shocked to learn how different social factors and personal characteristics can lead to criminal behavior among young people. Given this context, this research investigates how children at the Bhaktapur Child Reform Home experience their time, while examining the social, familial, and structural elements that direct their entry into the Child justice system. The study applies an interpretive research methodology to conduct a qualitative investigation through narrative inquiry, which included in-depth interviews with the participants to create detailed insights regarding their lived experience. This research demonstrates that children who encounter legal problems come from families that experience both structural and emotional instability. They face neglect and domestic violence more often. Their adverse childhood experiences lead to emotional distress and school dropouts, drug consumption, and dangerous peer associations, which heighten the risk of developing delinquent conduct. The narratives show how social labeling processes, structural strain, and institutional constraints determine the participants' future paths. The study finds that all participants display resilience because they cope with their challenges by developing adaptive skills and following their goals of personal growth from their difficult experiences. The study proposes that society should view child delinquency as a collective behavior that results from interconnected social, familial, and structural factors rather than treating it as a single deviant behavior pattern. The study results demonstrate the urgent requirement to establish stronger family support systems and develop rehabilitation programs that prioritize children.