ANJALI SUBEDI

National Child Labour Report 2011 estimates that 1,600,000 children between 5 to 17 years of age are working as laborers in the country, with 8 percent of them working in hazardous conditions.

Reports by various organizations put the number of children trafficked to India for sexual exploitation at 12,000 per year. They state that around 13,000 girls and women are currently working in the night entertainment industry in the Kathmandu Valley. In addition, the multi-indicator cluster survey 2010, conducted by UNICEF in the far western regions, reveals that 83 percent of the children aged 2 to 14 years are subjected to disciplinary violence.

The data is enough to indicate that the children in Nepal are in desperate need of love, care and freedom from labor. However, not only the observers, even the main stakeholders and the organizations working for the rights of the children on Wednesday admitted much remains to be done for the children.

Speaking at the launch of a campaign to prevent violence against children in Nepal, coinciding with the initiation of UNICEF´S global campaign for the elimination of violence against children, Gauri Pradhan, the head of National Human Rights Commission, said that despite over two decades of consistent efforts to secure child rights, the result has been far from satisfactory.

“We have been working in this field for over two decades. But women and children continue to be trafficked, exploited and discriminated. We can only make an impact against these violations if we all work together, from the government to civil society, down to the community level,” he said.

UNICEF representative Hanaa Singer also pointed out that there is a lack of holistic intervention or strategy to fight violence against children. “The problem of child labor cannot be seen in isolation. There has to be a holistic approach to counter the situation,” she said.

Sunita Dunuwar, president of Shakti Samuha that recently bagged the Magsaysay award for its contribution in combating human trafficking, urged everyone to do their bit to ensure the bright future of all children. “The society should change its perception towards helpless kids and trafficking survivors. Until and unless they are respected and supported, no change can be expected,” she said.

Similarly, Urmila Chaudhari, a former Kamlari, warned "no better results could come out if the voices for child rights are limited to seminars and programs as usual."

“How many of us would still be committed to acting for the cause once we step out of this hotel?” she questioned the mass of dignitaries attending the program. “There are so many organizations who claim to be working for children. And yet, we see the problem as it is. It is because we have failed to translate the words into action,” she added.

Meanwhile, Kiran Rupakhetee, undersecretary at the Ministry of Children, Women and Social Welfare, admitted that the government has not been able to adequately strengthen the machinery that fights for the rights of children. “Our weak machinery is responsible for ineffective actions against child rights violations. Two-third of the cases involving child rights violations are not even reported,” he said.

Published on: 1 August 2013 | Republica