Commitment to prioritize child rights issues in upcoming election

KATHMANDU: APRIL. 16 – Leaders of major political parties have pledged in their manifestos for the upcoming local level election to prioritize issues and concerns related to children and child rights.

The local level election will be held in a single phase on May 13.

They promised to take concrete steps for the implementation and protection of child rights, which are enshrined as fundamental rights in Nepal’s Constitution, at a political discourse organized by the Children as Zones of Peace National Campaign here today.

CPN (UML) general-secretary Shankar Pokharel said that his party had been championing the cause of child rights and called for declaring schools as a peace zone since insurgency. “There is no doubt that the State should lay its focus on children to ensure the bright future of the nation,” he noted.

Similarly, the ruling Nepali Congress’s assistant general-secretary Jivan Pariyar shared that they had been addressing many concerns related to children by holding discussions and consultations during the promulgation of the constitution. “Nepali Congress is committed to enforcing the policies and laws formulated to guarantee child rights.”

He lamented that the issues of child rights were neglected even in educated families.

Likewise, CPN (Maoist Centre)’ leder Shakti Bahadur Basnet spoke of the need to walk the talk instead of confining child rights issues to sloganeering. He viewed the current constitution was child-friendly as he argued that it was promulgated by the elected people’s representatives.

Gauri Pradhan, a child rights defender, stated that political parties and the state should prioritize child rights concerns such as a smooth registration process for childbirth, free education and free enrollment, sports, entertainment, and child rights protection.

Advocate Indu Tuladhar emphasized the importance of adhering to the provision in the election code of conduct that prohibits the mobilization of children in election promotion and the use of schools for election promotion.

The host organization’s Rajesh Sharma urged all political parties to prioritize children’s issues in their manifestos.