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STATE OF CHILDREN |
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STATE OF CHILDREN |
Growing Concern CWIN's 2002 report
shows how Nepalese children are increasingly facing the menace of violence and other
exploitation By SANJAYA DHAKAL As violence and terror tighten their grip
on the country, all sectors of society have been left in utter chaos. Being a vulnerable
group, children have been tremendously affected by the spiralling cycle of death and
despair.
Scores of children have been killed
in violence and thousands have been denied their basic right to education, as the sector
was badly mauled by terrorist activities. Unfortunately, other exploitative and immoral
activities perpetrated against children have been on the rise as well. Sexual and labor
exploitation is the major obstacle to the healthy development of Nepalese children. Last year, there were 3,609 incidents of
abuses against children, including sexual and labor exploitation, trafficking, forced
prostitution and violence, according to the State of Nepalese Children 2002 published by
Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN). The report said the number of such incidents had risen
remarkably compared to the previous year. CWIN, a non-government organization working
for the cause of children in Nepal, has been monitoring, advocating and actively working
to improve their living conditions. As a part of its activities, CWIN has been publishing
annual reports on the state of children in Nepal. According to the latest report, Nepalese
children had to face more violence in 2001 than ever before. According to the CWIN report,
since the Maoist violence began in February 1996, 268 children across the country have
been directly affected (until the end of year 2058 B.S. or mid-April 2002). Among them, 80 ó 23 girls and 57 boys ó
were killed as they were caught in violence perpetrated by Maoists and the
counter-offensive by the state. As many as 41 children were killed by land-mines in
different parts of the country. Another 39 children were killed either in
Maoist violence or counter-offensive by the state. Last year, newspapers carried reports
on how a few school children were killed or injured as they picked up explosives left near
the vicinity of their schools by Maoists. In one such incident, a boy died instantly near
his school in Sankhuwasabha district in eastern Nepal. According to the CWIN report, more than 50
children were injured by armed activities, 30 were kidnapped and 76 were arrested by the
state in 2001. The increasing intensity of violence has
also started taking its toll on the social, living and family conditions of children. More
than 1,500 children have been orphaned as a fall-out of the killings and terrorism. Likewise, 3,000 children belong to families
displaced by the conflict. Some have become internal refugees. The report also cites cases
of recruitment of children and adolescents by the Maoists. "But the exact number of
such recruited children is not known," stated the report. At least two adolescent
girls recruited by the rebels suffered from sexual abuse, the report said. The CWIN report has recorded violations of
children's rights based on four basic pillars ó right to live, right to develop, right of
protection and right of participation ó as recognized by the International Convention on
Children's Rights. As thousands of Nepalese children are suffering from the scourge of
violence and terrorism, a study is yet to be carried out how these incidents are affecting
them. Based on the experience from war zones like
Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka, experts say, violence has deep
and wide impact on children. More than physical harm, violence affects children
psychologically. The mental distress and trauma that children undergo are lot more
difficult to overcome than physical scars, they say. The scenes of violence and experience
of its impact leave scars that are hard to heal. "Children that witness extreme
violence and barbarism near their homes, schools or community show strange psychological
trauma that result in various kinds of psycho-social problems. In case of Nepal also the
syndromes of such problems are beginning to appear, " the report states. The report urges the state as well as
non-state actors to minimize and stop violent activities. By ensuring a safe life for
children, the country would be ensuring its bright future, it states. Nepalese children are also suffering from
various maladies that stem out of the country's extreme poverty. According to statistics,
there are around 2.6 million child laborers in the country, out of which 40,000 are bonded
laborers. The International Labor Organization has identified Nepal as one of the
countries where it is launching a model program to rid society of the problem of child
labor. About 5,000 children live and work in the
streets of the country's cities. Each year, thousands of women and children are trafficked
to India for various purposes, many forced to engage in sex trade in brothels of major
Indian towns. Likewise, 34 percent of all marriages in Nepal still involve under-age
adolescents and children. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba left for
the United States this week where he would be addressing a special session of the United
Nations General Assembly on children on May 9. Nepal is one of the three co-chairmen of
the special session. "It is sad that this time the PM's visit has been overshadowed
by other issues. The focus on the plight of Nepalese children and how to present this
message to the world has received less attention," said Gauri Pradhan, president of
CWIN. Nepalese children are suffering
tremendously from a multitude of problems at once. In recent years, the cycle of violence
and terror has been the No. 1 enemy of the entire country. Unless wisdom prevails and
violence is stopped, children going through their formative years would be deeply
affected. By extension, that would imperil the future of the country. Out of 100 Children 50 (50.05) are girls 50 (49.95) are boys 86 live in villages 14 live in cities 90 are immunized 48 are malnourished 40 belong to extremely poor families 80 are admitted to school, but only
51complete the primary level 86 boys and 74.6 girls are enrolled in
primary level school Sources: CWIN/CBS/UNICEF/Ministry of
Education/ILO-IPEC/Family Planning Project-UNFPA/Nepal Medical Association/National
Federation of Disabled Association/NEPAS In Nepal 41% of the total population are children
below 16 years old 27,000 children die of diarrhea every year There is only one children's hospital There is one child specialist for 104,066
children Out of 2.5 million disabled people, 5% are
children 52% of the population does not have toilets There are 23,885 primary schools 2.6 million children are engaged in
different forms of child labor Girls aged 10-14 work twice as much as boys
in the same age group At least 40,000 children are bonded
laborers 5,000 children are working and living on
the streets 450 pregnant mothers out of 100,000 die in
childbirth every year Annually 12,000 women and children are
trafficked to India 34% of marriages involve children under the
age of 15 years About 100 children are in adult jails. Sources: CWIN/CBS/UNICEF/Ministry of
Education/ILO-IPEC/Family Planning Project-UNFPA/Nepal Medical Association/National
Federation of Disabled Association/NEPAS |
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