Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: Caught in the violence that has plagued the country for over 10 years, Nepal's children have become the often-overlooked victims of the ongoing strife, their plight exacerbated by poverty and abuse.
With its recent political turmoil, Nepal, a poverty-stricken landlocked country known largely for tourism and mountaineering, has been once again thrust into the media spotlight as banner headlines and television images focus on the dramatic events in the streets of the capital city, Kathmandu. However, as was the case with previous coverage of the struggle between Maoist rebels against government forces, this explosion of interest has shone little light on a lesser-known problem - the plight of the nation's children. As a result of the strife, children's rights are violated and their lives are profoundly disrupted on a daily basis. According to a 2005 report by Child Workers in Nepal, cited by UNICEF, over 40,000 Nepalese children are estimated to have been displaced over the course of the Maoist uprising. Tens of thousands have been abducted for short periods for political indoctrination by the Maoists. Some of these children have then been recruited into the Maoist forces or militia. Education has suffered, particularly due to enforced closures during strikes, which have cut the school year to nearly half in some areas. Teachers have been threatened, assaulted and even killed. Schools in conflict-affected areas have been used for political meetings and enforced indoctrination sessions, have been bombed or attacked, and some have been turned into barracks. There are also reports that mines and other explosive devices have been placed in and around school buildings and playgrounds. In response, UNICEF and its partners have urged all parties in Nepal to ensure that schools and classrooms remain free of weapons and explosives and serve as politically neutral zones, where children will not be subject to indoctrination, abduction, harassment as political suspects, or threatened with detention. The Context
pdf: http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/story.asp?storyID=2400