Kathmandu, August 21:

Underage children are prone to various forms of abuses as compared to adults, according to a report released today by Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre.

In the course of six months, 48 out of 75 rape victims were children aged under 16 years, which is around 64 per cent, the report said.

According to the report, even school premises were not free of abuses as 16 per cent cases of physical and mental torture occurred on school premises.

The report also recorded 121 cases of trafficking, of which 28 per cent were minors.

It recorded 432 forms of violence against children, including exploitation of child labour, forced

sex trade, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, and abduction.

At least 49 children were found to be languishing in several prisons along with their parents, while six were found to be serving jail terms for theft.

Every month, at least six children are abducted by several groups for ransom in most of the cases, the report said.

According to the report, around 126 children had gone missing in course of six months.

Tarak Dhital, general-secretary of the Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre, said, “We need to devise a mechanism to make sure that each and every incident of violence against children is reported to the authorities concerned.”

“Family members, children and schools need to be aware of these kinds of violence all the time,” Dhital added.