All most all the parties had declared in their political manifesto in 2008 CA poll that they would do everything in welfare of children after winning the election. However, the fact file does not complement their declarations.[break]
The Nepal Police data of last year reveals that the children´s issue is often diminished under political issues as a result, 55.8 percent cases of the human trafficking are related to the trafficking of children below 18. In a horrifying scenario of children´s insecurity, 49.6 percent of the total cases of rape and sexual abuse happened with children below 18. The national census report shows that 44.4 percent of the total population are under18 years- age.
As the political parties are busy preparing their manifestos for the upcoming CA election scheduled for November 19, the major political parties have expressed their commitment to include children´s issues in their manifestos vowing for its effective implementation.
In a discussion program on ´Child Rights in Political Manifestos´ organised by Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN) in the capital on Tuesday, Nepali Congress (NC) Central Member Prakash Sharan Mahat expressed that his party would include child rights as a fundamental right in its manifesto emphasising on guaranteeing protection of children from all types of discriminations, abuses, exploitations and violence they are vulnerable to.
He also stressed on the need to invest more on education and health sector, and said that his party is ready for not involving children in any political activities conducted by his party for upcoming election. However, for this, there should be collective commitment from other parties too.
Addressing the program, the UCPN (Maoist) Spokesperson Agni Prasad Sapkota stated that his party is determined for including children´s voices in its manifesto stressing more on need to establish a juvenile court in the country. Currently, only juvenile benches are available.
Meanwhile, politburo member of CPN-UML, Gangalal Tuladhar said that his party has always provided much preference to children´s issues in its manifestos and ensured that his party will not organise any kind of strikes and other activities that will create an obstacle for ensuring children´s right to education.
Likewise, Rabin Thakur from Madhesi Jana Adhikar Froum (Loktantrik) and Dipendra Mishra, Central Member of Tarai Madhesh Loktantrik Party also showed their commitment towards including children´s issues in their manifesto and not involving children in their any political activities on upcoming election.
The UNICEF-Nepal Representative Hanah Singer plead to political parties for including and prioritising children in their manifesto and party agenda, and also to invest more on children for more developed and powerful nation.
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