Where do the children play?

The future of children is entwined with that of the country. Tomorrow’s prosperous and healthy nation shines in the faces of these new children. For a long time now, Nepal and the international committees have been promising a positive future for them. Thus the world reserves November 20 for children as World Child Right Day. And on this day children are given importance.

The trend of celebrating the day in Nepal started only two years ago although Nepal signed the United Nations Child Rights Convention ten years ago in 1990 agreeing to provide them education, health and justice. Based on the Convention, the Child Act became effective from 1991 and the Regulations followed.

According to Convention 1989 and its Article 1, other than a country where according to its law the coming of age is specified to be other than 18, those below 18 are declared children. According to Nepal’s 1991 Child Act, clause 2, those below 16 are considered to be children.

Not only that, during a time when 53 children have lost their lives caught in the trap between the police and Maoists in the five year people’s war, Nepal has voluntarily signed two optional protocols added to the Convention. This calls on the government to stop children going to war and taking up criminal activities as well as making the government obliged to act against child trafficking.

Along with this the country’s 300 or so INGOs and NGOs are ready to make sure the government keeps its obligations. The slogans for child labour, child rights first raised in the early part of the last decade have grown ever more powerful and organised. The government too now seems to be sensitive to this issue. The number of those willing to support the children has also seen an increase. Society is gradually beginning to recognise the rights of children. It is also finally waking up to this fact. Even if all these issues can be seen in a positive light, one still has to ask where the situation of children in reality stands since the undertaking of these commitments.

Looking at the present situation of children based on government statistics, even if there are signs of improvement, one cannot say that their condition is totally satisfactory. According to the latest UNICEF’s statistics, the number of malnourished children in the country’s total child population stood at 50 percent two and a half years ago but the rate has now climbed to 53.5 percent. The situation is much the same when it comes to child mortality rates. More than the rate for boys, the mortality rate for girls has increased by 24 percent. In every thousand newborn female infants, 57 die and in the same ratio 46 male infants die. The death rate is naturally higher in the villages and rural areas.

According to figures supplied by the Education Ministry, 70 percent of children have enrolled in schools. Girls make up only 40 percent of this figure and have a very high drop out rate. Along with this statistic, 40 percent live below the poverty line and 50 percent are malnourished. In every 100 children born eight die within a year and 11 die within five years. Fifteen percent of children are engaged in dangerous work and 45 percent are involved in various other forms of work.

The Convention expressly stipulates that justice for children should not be delayed and that the cases should be decided within a closed bench and protection from severe punishments should also be availed but the already established children’s benches have not been able to function effectively. The Central Women and Children’s Welfare Council has not been able to sit more than once since its formation nine years ago. Even if the Central Child Welfare Committee looks active, when compared to the district committees, its progress looks slack.

The right to form organisations, part of the main spirit of the Convention, has not been initiated. In 1995 and in accordance with the law, a children’s club named Child Awareness Group was registered at the Kathmandu District Administration Office. Citing this as an example Jagriti Club also submitted an application in Nawalaparasi district. But it wasn’t registered. Instead the Child Awareness Group was annulled under the direction of the Home Ministry. Even after four years in the Supreme Court this case has not been decided.

Despite the Child Act stipulating that children cannot be imprisoned as adults the fact is that there are about hundred children living as prisoners inside the jails solely for the fact that their parents are behind bars and they do not have any place to go.

Situation of Children

According to the ILO investigation there are 6.2 million 25 thousand children between the ages of five to fourteen. Among them 1.7 million are economically active. Out of that figure 250000 are involved in worse form of child labour.

Out of the total population, 52 percent are under eighteen years. Every year 7,79,000 new infants are born. Every year, 78000 infants die. Every day 214 children die. There is only one children’s hospital in the country. For every 1,02,671 children there is only one child specialist. 34 percent marriages are made by children under 15 years. 40,000 children work as bonded labourers. 2.6 million are in various kinds of work. There are 5000 street children.

Faced with the above facts, it is terribly ironic that on World Child Rights Day, Kanti Children’s Hospital increased their rates from 50 to 2400 percent.

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