Rights advocates appeal to UN as Nepal moves to dissolve National Child Rights Council

A coalition of child rights advocates, civil society organizations, and lawmakers is urging Nepal's government to reconsider its plan to dissolve the National Child Rights Council. They warn that this decision could significantly weaken child protection measures for millions and potentially put Nepal at odds with its international obligations.

The proposed dissolution was announced in the government's fiscal year 2083-84 budget as part of a larger initiative to abolish, merge, or restructure 31 government entities. Child rights organizations nationwide have criticized this move, arguing that eliminating the council, the statutory body responsible for coordinating and promoting children's rights, would create a critical vacuum. This comes at a time when Nepal is still grappling with persistent issues such as child labor, trafficking, child marriage, and violence against children.

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The children need to be protected. We are what is protecting them for now.

Established under the Children Act of 2018, the National Child Rights Council is Nepal's principal institution dedicated solely to children's rights. It plays a crucial role in coordinating child protection policies across all government levels, monitoring rights violations, overseeing protection mechanisms, supporting child participation, and ensuring Nepal meets its reporting obligations under international human rights treaties. Ram Bahadur Chand, an information officer at the council, stated that its elimination would leave vital child protection functions without a dedicated national coordinating body. The council currently operates in 17 districts, coordinating services for child trafficking, counseling, alternative care, and support for abused and abandoned children, overseeing 382 child-care shelters that serve over 10,000 children nationwide.

The controversy has escalated to the international level. Shree Ram Adhikari, a former human rights officer with the UN Mission in South Sudan and a former fellow at the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, submitted an urgent appeal to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on May 31, requesting intervention. Adhikari's appeal asserts that the proposed dissolution threatens decades of progress in child rights governance. He argued that weakening the country's main child rights institution would be detrimental to children's best interests and Nepal's international commitments, especially as the country faces ongoing challenges related to violence, exploitation, child labor, child marriage, trafficking, online abuse, and climate vulnerability.

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The proposed dissolution threatens decades of progress in child rights governance in Nepal. At a time when children continue to face challenges related to violence, exploitation, child labour, child marriage, trafficking, online abuse, climate vulnerability, and unequal access to services, weakening the country’s principal child rights institution would be contrary to the best interests of children and Nepal's international commitments.