Birth registration essential for protecting rights of child

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, June 2: Birth registration is essential for protecting the fundamental rights of children who are vulnerable to exploitation, experts and officials said at a national workshop said.

Lack of an identity might bar children from financial transactions, social security, inheritance rights, health care, education, employment, legal protection, travel and communications, they said at the two-day workshop on "Birth Registration – the 7th Article of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child" jointly organised here Thursday by Ministry of Local Development (MoLD), PLAN International Nepal and UNICEF.

The local authorities should be mobilised to make the birth registration effective at the grass-root level, they said.

The programme participated in by 120 representatives from governments, local bodies, national and international non-governmental organisations aimed at preparing a plan of action to improve birth registration in Nepal. The workshop would also share findings of the recent survey with concerned authorities, discuss the issues of delayed and non-registration of birth, bring all stakeholders interested in child right together to ensure that every child is registered, and create a better collaboration among the responsible agencies about the need for universal birth registration, they said.

State Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Kamala D. Panta in her inaugural speech pointed out some legal difficulties in the registration process and said that they had to be removed to make it effective. "The registration, an essential proof for the children to achieve citizenship certificate, should be based on the mother’s identity and the information provided by her who is an authentic source."

State Minister Panta said that the registration in the rural areas is low due to lack of awareness among people about its importance. "A co-ordination between the government and the local authorities will make the registration process effective and result-oriented."

Chief Secretary Tirtha Man Shakya said that the government would take initiatives to improve the provisions. "The registration will be effective if the local representatives are given the task."

Besides, the government could lift the late registration fees if need be, he added.

According to the provision, a child has to be registered within 35 days of its birth.

MoLD Registrar Badri Prasad Parajuli said that a joint participation of government organisations, private sectors as well as civil society was essential for the enhancement of the programme.

Welcoming the participants and guests earlier, PLAN International Asia Regional Director Dr Donal Keane said that the proportion of registered children was higher (51.7 per cent) in the Terai than in the Hills and Mountains (29.1 per cent). He said that the workshop would provide an opportunity to understand the complexity of the issues involved in protecting all children’s rights to a name and a nationality. "The lack of identity will make children increasingly vulnerable to exploitation as our world becomes more closely linked due to improved technology, international trade, travel and migration."

UNICEF Resident Representative Stewart said that the rights of children had received extraordinary attention in Nepal since the ratification of the UN Convention on the rights of children.

The birth registration, which is linked with various rights of children, is crucial for the development of a democratic society that protects children from exploitation and promotes the civil rights of its citizens, he added.

Need to work more for women: Pant

Kathmandu, June 2 (RSS): The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare organised a press meet here yesterday with a view to providing information about the report to be presented at the UN convention on "Women 2000, Gender equality, development and peace" to be organised in New York from June 5 to 8 to take stock of achievements made as per the plan of action passed at the fourth conference on women, obstacles and future challenges. On the occasion, Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare Mrs Kamala Pant spoke of the need to work more though there have been positive results in areas of women’s gender equality and women’s empowerment. The report has laid stress on the need to increase investment in women’s education, training, health and other areas in order to bring women into the development mainstream she added.

According to a press release circulated on the occasion, after the Beijing Conference, there has been an increase in women’s participation in parliament and local bodies, the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, and the Human Rights Commission have been constituted, the process for forming the national women’s commission has got underway and there have been encouraging progress in the health sector.

Despite all this, women in various parts of the country continue to suffer from domestic violence and have to face discriminations in other forms.

‘Jari pratha purchases women’

Rautahat, June 2 (RSS): The system of "jari" compensation is likely to assume alarming proportions in the kachadiya community because of lack of social awareness.

Jari is the compensation money that is paid to the aggreived party when a man and woman elope, and it is illegal. But this practice remains commonplace among the kachadiya because of prevailing illiteracy, poverty and conservative ways.

According to Judibela VDC chairman Ganga Prasad Kanel, jari has become accepted practice although it constitutes a problem.

He further says that jari marriages among the kachadiya in Chandranigahapur, Gaidatar, Simrik, Rajpenda, Judibela and Rangapur in Rautahat district are having the effect of making women weaker.

Although jari relationships are prohibited by the civil code of Nepal, it is occasionally looked upon in this community as something conferring social prestige on those involved. This is at the cost of women’s rights and interests.

Only recently, the wife of Bhagaural Dhami in Judibela VDC Ward No 4 eloped with his neighbour Ghoma Dhami. Bhagaural reported the matter to the community and Ghoma payed him Rs 2,000 as jari compensation. In another incident, Phaguni Kumar of the same VDC eloped with a local girl. The community then forced him to pay Rs l,000 and the girl’s parents Rs 500 in jari.

Social worker Supat Bahadur Karki feels that the jari system amounts to indirect purchase of women. Under the origional civil code, a complaint lodged against the eloping couple by the aggrieved party could result in up to two months imprisonment and a fine of Rs l,000 to 2,000.

But the sixth amendment to that particular law says once litigation is brought by the aggrieved party the elopement becomes null and void. Under this law payment of jari is clearly illegal.

Fading forests turn greener

Tulsipur, June 2 (RSS): Local people of Dang district have been developing interest in the community forests.

The total number of community forests handed over to the local users’ committee in Dang district has reached 309 and the area is 50,000 hectares making Dang district the district covered by community forests.

Community forests in Dang district were handed over since the year 2046 B.S. under the policy of handing over the national forest as community forest as per the wishes of the users, management capability for preservation, promotion and utilisation of the forest in their vicinity to put into practice the concept of "People’s forest, people’s wealth, their own responsibility".

Dang district which has a total forest area of 192,155 hectares is covered by 30 per cent community forest. More than 300,000 people benefit from the community forests in the district. The biggest community forest handed over has an area of 1,486 hectares and the smallest has 0.5 hectares.

Dang district is also the district with most women community forests. It has 36 women community forests till the fiscal year 055/ 56 B.S.

Of them, the Tribhuwannagar Municipality has 11, Hapur VDC has 6, Rampur VDC has 4, Hekuli 3, Satchuriya 2, Manpur 2, Gadhwa 2 and Chailati, Srigaun, Dhanauri, Laxmipur, Gobadiha and Tulsipur Municipality have one each women community forests. A community forest users’ group coordinating committee has been constituted under the coordination of the Tulsipur Municipality with a view to forge coordination among the community forest users’ groups within the Tulsipur Municipality in Dang district, and to help in the management works of the community forests, Deputy Mayor of Tulsipur Ghanashyam Pandey said.

The committee is represented by the Tulsipur Ilaka forest office, the Efa environment and forest entrepreneurship programme and the care Nepal.

The coordination committee has been conducting training realising the need to prioritise group management training.

The Dang district forest office says that because of the interest of the local people in community forests, the fading forests have become greener again resulting in preservation of the bio-diversity and the number of deers, rabbits, leopards, hundars, luinche and wild boars.