Children’s Day

THE 36th National Children’s Day was observed in the country on Sunday with variety of programmes and firm commitments from the government to work for the rights, welfare and development of all children. This slogan of this year’s Children’s Day is Children and Environment, which aims at generating awareness for the creation of better environment for the healthy growth and all-round development of children. In a message on the occasion of 36th Children’s Day, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala stressed the need for ensuring and increasing more involvement and participation of children in the activities meant for their welfare and development. Prime Minister Koirala’s call for increased participation of children is significant because children’s participation in children development programmes is one of the major component of plans developed for protection of the rights and progress of children. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Children, which Nepal has also ratified, has clearly spelled out four major components—survival, protection, participation and development — for the rights and development of children. Ever since Nepal ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children, it has announced several policy-wise and legal measures for the protection and promotion of the rights of the child and development of children. The Children’s Act and Law concerning prohibition of child labour and ratification of several ILO Conventions concerning child labour are some of the important decisions taken by the government for the protection of the rights and development of children.

Despite formulation of policies, programmes and legal frameworks concerning the rights of the children, many Nepalese children are still deprived of their basic rights and opportunities required for their physical as well as mental development. A large number of children are still not able go to school for various reasons. Similarly, half of those who are enrolled in grade one also drop out before completing grade three. Child mortality is also high in Nepal while child labour is still rampant in the economic sector. Child rights activists are of the opinion that much still needs to be done for the full realisation of rights of the children enshrined both in the international instruments as well as domestic laws.

For this, strict implementation of the present laws would go a long way for the protection of the rights of the child and development of children. Child rights is a common issue and all, not only need to clearly express their commitments but to equally contribute from their respective fields for the protection of the children’s rights. Only thus would be objective of the National Children’s Day be speedily realised.

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