The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report addressing Nepal’s Compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child to the 72nd Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child in April 2016.
Nepal ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, and has since ratified the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The Nepali Government has addressed barriers that children face in accessing their right to education, and increased investment in education has resulted in increasing enrollment, particularly for girls, children with disabilities, and children who are members of indigenous groups. While these are encouraging trends, hidden costs and other barriers prevent many from accessing their right to education.
Child labor, trafficking, and sexual exploitation remain a widespread problem in Nepal. Gaps in the country’s legal framework fail to adequately address and prevent dangerous child labor practices. Furthermore, many have expressed concern that the economic impact and the disruption of education caused by the 2015 earthquake have increased the risk of child labor, trafficking, and sexual exploitation in Nepal.
The authors of the report suggest, among others, the following recommendations to the Government of Nepal:
Recommendations regarding education
Recommendations regarding child labor
Recommendations regarding trafficking