Nepal: Child rights situation gloomy, says NHRC

The efforts made by the government and some NGOs towards child rights protection have remained insufficient in Nepal, the National Human Rights Commission said.

Releasing a report on the Child Rights Situation in Nepal-2007, the commission said the children have been deprived of their rights including the right to life, right to protection, and right to education and capacity development, the commission said.

Among the 92 complaints related to child rights issues registered in the commission in 2007, 15 were related to murder of children and 16 were related to death of children in blasts, according to Yagya Prasad Adhikari, the deputy director of the commission.

He said the commission has found that children were being abducted and tortured in schools and child homes.

Child trafficking, forced child labour and discrimination are some of the challenges in protecting child rights in Nepal, the commission said, adding that being a mere signatory to international conventions was not sufficient to protect child rights.

All stakeholders should give priority to child rights if the targets set by the state on child development and child rights were to be translated into action, it said.

Date: 7 June 2008

Source: Gorkhapatra