An eight-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 husband, Dammar Gaha Magar, works as a labourer in India. With no one to support her at their home in Surkhet, she moved back to her parents’ house.

Parbati’s eldest daughter aged 12 and youngest aged 5 are healthy. According to her, the middle daughter was healthy until she was about two and a half years old, when she developed a fever. “She recovered after treatment, but one day she suddenly started shaking violently while I was holding her. After that, she stopped walking, sitting, and speaking,” she recalled.

The family sought treatment in nearby towns, including Nepalgunj and Kohalpur, but saw no improvement. Medical documents were lost, and Parbati cannot recall the names of the hospitals. “We did what we could afford, but nothing worked,” she lamented.

Parbati later tried herbal remedies brought from India, which helped the child regain some ability to walk. However, her speech did not return, and her behaviour suggested ongoing mental distress. “She does not speak clearly and often behaves in ways that show she is not mentally well,” she added.

With no one available to watch over her daughter while she works in the fields, Parbati says she is forced to tie the girl inside the goat shed during the day. “I have to work to feed the family. She tries to escape even from the shed, so I tie her legs with a rope. I only bring her inside at night,” she shared her plight.

The child does not ask for food, but eats when fed. According to her mother, she occasionally recognises her sisters but remains largely unresponsive. “Sometimes she sits on my lap or plays a little, but mostly she does not react,” said Parbati.

Local authorities say they are aware of the situation. Ward chair Dilip Gurung said he had urged the family to obtain a disability identity card from Surkhet. “It is not possible to issue the card from here. We have asked them to go to Surkhet several times,” he said, adding that the ward office had provided Rs5,000 in immediate support.

Indra Chunara, chief of the women, children and social welfare section at the municipality, said officials had visited the family after learning about the case. “We advised them not to keep the child tied like this and discussed possible rescue options. But as the child belongs to another district, it was complicated. We will now take steps for her treatment and protection,” she said.

Rights activists say the case reflects a broader failure to support vulnerable children. Hima Sunar, coordinator of the Bardiya Civil Society Network, said the state must intervene. “The family clearly cannot afford treatment. The government should ensure rescue and medical care. The family also needs psychosocial counselling to care for a child with intellectual disability,” she suggested.

Various reports have pointed to gaps in disability services in rural Nepal, where families often lack access to diagnosis, treatment and social support. In such cases, children with disabilities are at risk of neglect, confinement and social isolation.

For Parbati, the situation remains a daily struggle shaped by poverty and limited options. “I want my daughter to get better,” she said. “But without money, I do not know where to take her,” she said.