[child-rights] Nepal: Children victims of violence in ongoing civil conflict

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
AI Index: ASA 31/062/2005
26 July 2005

Amnesty International revealed today that thousands of children across
Nepal are facing serious violence and abuse in the ongoing conflict in
Nepal, where Maoist rebels and security forces have been fighting a brutal
internal conflict for the last nine years.

In a report released today, Nepal: Children caught in the conflict, the
organization said that Nepalese children are being killed, illegally
detained, tortured, raped, abducted and recruited for military activities
and accused both sides to the conflict of violating the most fundamental
rights of children.

“This conflict is a disaster for the children of Nepal,” said Purna Sen,
Director of Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Programme. “Some children
have been directly targeted by one or other party to the conflict, while
hundreds more have died from bombs and improvised explosive devices.
Thousands of children have been forced to flee their homes and face
desperate poverty and exploitation.”

Both sides to the conflict have been responsible for killing children. The
security forces have killed children they suspect of involvement with the
Maoists, while the Maoists have abducted and killed the children of
security forces personnel, as well as caused the deaths of many children
by deliberately bombing civilian infrastructure and leaving improvised
explosive devices in civilian areas.

There have been disturbing reports of children suspected of affiliation
with the Maoist rebels being detained for long periods in army barracks,
police stations or prisons -- often held together with adults. Many child
detainees report having been tortured by security forces during their
detention.

Such treatment is in direct violation of the Nepalese government’s human
rights obligations. The Convention on the Rights of the Child
{http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/display.php?doc_id=473 } (CRC) provides
that “every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity…and
in a manner which takes account of the needs of persons of his or her
age", while torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment are
forbidden under the CRC and the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights.

Chandra Malla told Amnesty International how, after her husband was killed
by security forces, the police came to her home and arrested her
10-year-old son. They dragged him from the house and beat him with a
pistol, accusing him of being a Maoist. The boy was held in custody for
six days, during which time he was beaten with a plastic pipe all over his
body. After his release, the security forces continued to visit his home
and threatened to rape his 12-year-old sister.

Amnesty International has received reports of girls being raped by
security forces during “search operations”. One 15-year-old girl from
mid-western Nepal told Amnesty International how she was raped by a
soldier in her family’s cattle shed during a night time “search operation”
in her village. Many women’s organisations report that the conflict is
also resulting in more girls being trafficked for sexual exploitation –
already a serious problem in Nepal.

Over the last few years the Maoists have abducted tens of thousands of
school children for “political education” sessions, held in remote
locations. While most of these children return home after a few days, some
do not and it appears that the rebels are recruiting children for military
activities and forced labour, despite the fact that the use of children
under 15 in armed conflict is a war crime.

Education services have come under particular attack. Both sides have used
school premises for military purposes and the Maoists have bombed a number
of schools, injuring children. These attacks, combined with Maoist
abductions of school children and crippling strikes, mean that many of
Nepal’s children are missing out on vital years of education.

“Nepal’s children are being caught up in the cycle of violence that is
gripping the country. They are abducted and recruited by the Maoists and
then become targets for the security forces, placing them at risk of
detention or even killing,” said Purna Sen. “In addition to experiencing
violence and abuse, as the conflict erodes education, health and
development services, thousands of children are unable to enjoy their
rights to health and education.”

Amnesty International is urging the government of Nepal to fulfil its
commitments to protect the rights of children, as laid out in the CRC and
other human rights treaties; to bring to justice security forces personnel
who commit human rights violations; and to provide appropriate services
for those children who are caught up in the conflict. It is also calling
on the Maoists to end the abduction and recruitment of children, release
all children within its forces and end all indiscriminate attacks and
targeting of civilians. It is vital that both sides take all possible
steps to respect and protect the rights of children and minimise the
negative impact of the conflict on their lives.

For a copy of the full report, please see:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engasa310542005



--
HREA - www.hrea.org  

Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) is an international
non-governmental organisation that supports human rights learning; the
training of activists and professionals; the development of educational
materials and programming; and community-building through on-line
technologies.