CCWB, its district offices dissolved

Kathmandu, August 3

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has urged all the local levels to implement the July 29 Cabinet decision regarding dissolution of the Central Child Welfare Board and district child welfare boards.

In response to a letter from the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, the MoFAGA recently directed local levels to do the needful for transfer of moveable and immovable property, employees and other liabilities of the previous district child welfare boards to the newly declared local child rights boards. The Council of Ministers had decided to dissolve the CCWB and district child welfare boards replacing them with National Child Rights Board and local child rights board respectively in accordance with the Children’s Rights Act-2018.

The CCWB and district child welfare boards were instituted under the Children’s Act-1992. According to MoFAGA, a management committee led by mayor of municipality or chairperson of rural municipality located in the concerned headquarters will be formed for deciding on the use and management of property and infrastructure of the previous district child welfare board. The new local child rights boards will function in accordance with the new act. In addition to the NCRB and local child rights boards, the new act has a provision of Children’s Court to conduct proceedingd, hearingd and adjudication of offences committed by children.

“Children’s bench shall be formed in each district court to conduct proceedings, hearings and adjudication of offences committed by children until formation of Children’s Court,” the law states. If a child below the age of 10 commits an offence, no punishment shall be handed down to him/her.

Similarly, a child between 10 and 14 years of age shall be released after convincing him/her not to repeat such acts in future, as per the law.

In the case of a minor’s involvement in an offence liable to jail sentence, the concerned child aged between 10 and 14 may be imprisoned for a term not exceeding six months or kept in child correction centre for one year.