Kathmandu, August 11:

Children in the conflict-affected areas are undergoing psycho-socio problems owing to increasing violence and bloodshed in the country. “Their psycho-social problems can be seen in their role-playing games of the Maoists and security forces. They play insurgency-related games with paper guns and even place imaginary mines on the roads,” said Tiloktam Poudel, coordinator of the Child Workers in Nepal Concern Centre (CWIN), Salyan chapter. He was speaking at an interaction on the problems faced by children in conflict-prone Bajura and Salyan. The programme was organised by the Institute of Human Rights Communication, Nepal, here today. He urged the government to take concrete steps to impart education to the students in times of conflict. Pointing out that women and children are the most affected in the ongoing insurgency, he said 41 children in Rolpa, one in Salyan and 20 in Rukum have died because of the conflict as per CWIN’s records.