Bardiya, April 27 -- year-old girl from ward 5 in Madhuwan Municipality, Bardiya, has spent the last five years of her life tethered to a stake inside a goat shed. The child, who suffers from severe mental health challenges, remains confined during daylight hours because her family can neither afford medical treatment nor provide constant supervision.

According to Parbati Gaha Magar, the girl's mother, the child is restrained during the day to stop her from wandering off. "She keeps running away and moving about aimlessly. I have no choice but to tie her," she said.

Originally from ward 1 of Bheriganga Municipality in Surkhet, Parbati has been living at her maternal home in Bardiya with her three daughters for the past few years. Her hu...