A study entitled “Children Killed in Armed Conflict” conducted in 20 districts of Nepal by the Community Study and Welfare Centre (CSWC) has concluded that this year alone 56 children have been killed in armed conflict. While 14 children were killed in Kailali district alone between January and June, Chitwan recorded seven deaths, followed by Rukum with five and Surkhet with four. Those killed have been the victims of abandoned bombs, landmine explosions, encounters and ambushes, not to talk of the ones killed at the hands of both the rebels and the security forces. The findings revealed that six children were killed by the Maoists and three by the security personnel. One child was even shot dead while many others have fallen to crossfires.

This is hugely unfortunate in a country like Nepal where as it is the majority of the poor children are denied care and education right from their early childhood. Besides having to live in a hostile atmosphere, they have little or no access to basic education. Recently, the Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) and the Global Campaign for Education in their reports revealed the shocking fact that one-third of the Nepali kids are missing primary education. Out of the 14 countries in the region, Nepal was placed in the eleventh position in the ASPBAE report “Must Do Better.” It is clear that no attention has been paid to child development and child protection as the country gets deeper and deeper into violent conflict. Moreover, there is no proper record of the condition of the internally displaced ones or about those kids who have run away to neighbouring countries to escape the consequences of the on-going internecine insurgency.

The government’s lack of commitment to gear up the required support and protection for the

needy children and the warring sides’ ruthlessness have resulted in such devastating scenarios. It is thus important that the warring parties refrained from careless activity involving children. The government, on its part, should provide for the much-needed care and support services quite apart from putting in place detail information about the wounded,

displaced, maimed, separated and abandoned children in order for the agencies concerned to stop atrocities against the minors.