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Kathmandu Thursday July 20, 2000 Sharawan 05, 2057.
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Curb social crimes
Some
prominent social workers have raised doubts whether the government can really do something
to prevent girl-trafficking and child labour. This scepticism speaks a lot about the fact
that the government has hardly shown interest to deter girl trafficking and sexual abuse
of children. Despite the government's pledge to reduce the rate of social crimes, the law
has not been implemented effectively and many social criminals remain unpunished. As a
result, thousands of girls and children continue to become victims in their hands.
It
is unfortunate that over ten thousand girls are being trafficked into India every year
even though there is a law to prevent such activity. This apart, more than three million
children have to work under very exploitative conditions to earn their daily bread. Of
them, sixty thousand land up with work in unsafe or hazardous environments. The obvious
reasons for this state of affairs are : increasing poverty, the open border and lack of
effective laws to punish the perpetrators.
Successive
governments have done nothing to reduce such crimes by providing education to the deprived
children nor attempted to economically uplift those who live under conditions of abject
poverty.
Since
the last decade, the rate of social crimes in the country has increased dramatically. Girl
trafficking and sexual abuse of children have no doubt been overriding concerns since most
girls and children quit studies at an early age mainly due to acute poverty. They either
have to help their parents with domestic chores or leave home in search of jobs.
Eventually, they land up in the hands of criminals or find hazardous work.
Had
the government introduced economic programmes to improve the lives of those who live in
acute poverty, had it stressed on educating poor children such a high rate of
girl-trafficking and child labour would not have existed. Besides, the government has also
failed to monitor the open border between Nepal and India which has only facilitated girl
trafficking.
This
cannot be allowed to continue. Therefore, it has become imperative for the government to
introduce new measures, create awareness about girl-trafficking and provide education and
income generating activities to the poorer sections of Nepalese society. The open border
needs strict monitoring because without this measure it will not be possible to curb
trafficking. Unless the government's attention is focused on these measures, child abuse
and trafficking will continue to increase.
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