Lalitpur, April 10:

Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare, Khadga Bahadur Biswokarma today challenged the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) to prove the presence of minors in the seven cantonments and 21 satellite cantonments, where the Maoist People’s Liberation Army soldiers are living.

Talking to The Himalayan Times, Minister Biswokarma said there are no minors in these camps.

“If the UNMIN comes with factual data and evidences regarding children living in the cantonments, they would be freed and reintegrated with families,” he said. “Debate on the presence of children in cantonments is still on. The UNMIN and other agencies have repeatedly raised the issues. But, we will set free the child soldiers if there is substantial evidence on the claim,” he said.

UN Secretary General’s report titled Children and Armed Conflict in Nepal has reported at least 512 cases of child recruitment in September 2006 and that 20 per cent of 30,000 soldiers in the Maoists army are below 18.

Three consecutive reports by the UN Secretary-General to the Security Council since 2002 named

the Maoists for violating international standards prohibiting the use and recruitment of child soldiers.

Human Rights Watch report, Children in the Ranks: The Maoists’ Use of Child Soldiers in Nepal, released in January documented failure of the Nepal government to attend to the needs of child soldiers and recruited more children, despite signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in November.

“CPN (Maoist) never had a policy to recruit children below 18 years as its party cadres, even though it gave Communist Party membership at the age of 16,” said Bishwokarma.

According to Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Nepal is a party, a child means every human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.

“Considering the changed context, children as old as 14 who are mentally and physically fit, have right to be well informed and updated about the developing political scenario of the country,” minister said, adding that even though school students have right to pursue education in an undisturbed atmosphere, as part of their awareness they have right to joint the political parties’ students wing freely.

The government is yet to finalise the policies regarding women and children. The policy will prioritise to ensure fundamental rights of children and come up with special programmes to provide shelter to homeless children, he said.

He stressed that the government will abide by the law in letter and spirit.