National 7 (Spotlight Weekly)

Ignored Lot

Amid global calls to heed children's voice, Nepal's young are hopelessly waiting for someone to rescue them from conflict

By A CORRESSPONDENT

Schools have been closed down indefinitely, immunization programs have been badly hampered, and children displaced from their homes continue to flock to the cities. In a country with a long history of tolerance and respect, Nepal's children have been facing all kinds of violence, discrimination and terror in the last couple of years.

With the upsurge in Maoist violence, education institutions have become the main targets. Many teachers have been killed and tortured in the classroom in front of the students. Many school buildings have been blown up, while others have long ceased to conduct the teaching-learning activities that are vital to the nation's future. Although the government has been launching immunization programs each year, the health workers needed to conduct them successfully are virtually non-existent.

There is a breakdown in the education and health systems in many parts of the rural Nepal, where hunger, disease and illiteracy run rampant. Students in relatively safer places like Kathmandu valley suffer from regular strikes called by the pro-Maoist student organization.

With the conflict prolonging and news of violence entering every household, the future of Nepalese children is headed toward greater uncertainty. At a time when everyone is concerned about the rights of children, United Nation's Children Fund (UNICEF) has released its annual State of the World's Children report, stressing the need to give young people a constructive role that is essential to their development - and to a more cohesive, peaceful world.

"In a world wounded by conflict and divided by poverty, it is absolutely essential that children be embraced, listened to, and given a role in crafting a better future for themselves," said Carol Bellamy, executive director of UNICEF. "Enabling children and adolescents to participate constructively in their communities and nations is crucial to nurturing their inherent optimism and preparing them for a constructive and meaningful
adulthood."

The State of the World's Children 2003 reveals some positive result in Nepal. As the data prescribed in the report is based on 2001, however, the situation has evidently deteriorated. The gains made over the last decade have been badly hit.

According to the report, Nepal has made enormous progress in the last one decade. The country ranks 55 in terms of under-five mortality rate, a critical indicator of the well-being of children.

In South Asia, Bangladesh ranks 58 followed by India (54), Bhutan (52), Pakistan (43), Maldives (58) and Sri Lanka (130). Nepal is in fourth position after Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh. Although fewer than 40 percent of Nepalese girls are enrolled in school and/or the gender gap was greater than 10 percent in 1997-2000, the progress in other areas of basic indicators, including infant mortality rate, life expectancy, total adult
literacy and net primary school enrolment, were moving on a positive trend till 2001. After the escalation in the conflict in remote parts of the far-west and mid-west region since then, early indications are that the situation is getting worse.

The UNICEF report also points out that 150 million children around the world still suffer from malnutrition. Some 120 million school-age children are not in school, the majority being girls. About 6,000 children and young people are infected with HIV everyday. The report argues that engaging children and young people and including them in the decision-making process that affect their lives are essential to addressing these problems.

"Through these findings children have told us something very important about the value they are growing up with," said Bellamy. "Our first response must be simply to listen to what they're saying, because in fact what they are saying is that we do not listen enough."

The State of the World's Children 2003 highlights the positive progress in the areas of children's rights. Nepal has to make greater efforts to maintain its achievements. If children continue to be victimized in the conflict, Nepal's rank will go down further in coming years. This can only spell disaster for the future.