April 21, Kathmandu – Stakeholders have emphasized the need for continuous vigilance by the government, media, and civil society to protect and promote children’s rights. Participants at an event organized on Monday by the Child Rights Peace Zone National Campaign (CJP) highlighted the importance of consistently raising voices against violations of children’s rights. They stressed the necessity to remain alert on issues such as child marriage, child labor, education, healthcare, and nutrition.
Professor Dr. Kundan Aryal, head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Tribhuvan University, presented a paper on children’s rights. He noted that global advocacy for children’s rights began gaining momentum in 1990. “Due to continuous efforts, some positive practices have emerged in this area; however, promoting children’s rights cannot be achieved through one-off or decade-long initiatives alone,” he stated. Aryal emphasized the ongoing need to advocate, write, and pressure the government to work systematically and effectively on these issues.
According to Aryal, although Nepal has set a policy to end child marriage by 2030, the country is currently still in the stage of reducing child marriage. He expressed skepticism that child marriage will be completely eradicated within the next four years. Furthermore, he revealed that there is a lack of programs and budgets to ensure that every child receives their rights to education, healthcare, nutrition, and birth registration.
Tilotam Paudel, chairperson of the Child Rights Peace Zone Campaign, stressed that all stakeholders must work together to guarantee children the right to live fearlessly in a safe environment where they can study, play, and grow. He shared his views on the roles of civil society, media, local governments, and the central government in securing children’s health, education, and nutritional rights.
Paudel highlighted the necessity to integrate various child-related laws. He pointed out that inconsistencies between laws pertaining to child rights, child labor, and other regulations result in implementation challenges and injustice towards children. He also strongly advocated for the establishment of a separate commission or a high-level mechanism dedicated to protecting children from gender and sexual minorities, intersex children, and others requiring special protection.
Paudel further urged the media to monitor efforts to strengthen the National Child Rights Council by providing it with adequate resources and to push for the establishment of dedicated mechanisms and separate budgets for children at the local government level.
The program also featured statements from Krishna Gautam, Information Officer of INSEC Nepal; journalists Prakash Silwal and Pushpa Adhikari; activists Safalta Bhandari and Santosh Paudel; Devi Sapkota; and Policy Advocacy Manager Irsad Ansari from Plan International Nepal, who each shared their perspectives on the matter.
