Child Protection Systems

© UNICEF/NEP450/KPANDAY

Verbal abuse and corporal punishment of students by teachers is widely practiced across all grades in Nepal as well as violence against children in families and communities. Moreover, health practitioners and social workers are not trained to recognise or respond to physical or emotional signs of violence against children.

Paralegal committees, women’s federations and child clubs are community-based mechanisms that work to protect children and women from violence, exploitation and abuse. They create pressure from inside the community, using social and legal arguments to address protection abuses. They focus on prevention/awareness-raising; early detection and intervention; case follow-up; and monitoring/reporting.

Challenges facing the juvenile justice system in Nepal are numerous. They include pre-trial detention that exceeds the maximum period, detention of juveniles with adults, inhumane conditions of detention, frequent delays in court appearances, and lack of post-trial rehabilitation measures.

Activities

• Strengthen the capacity of governmental and civil society service providers to prevent and respond to violence, exploitation and abuse against children, by training teachers on teaching and learning with dignity, training health
workers on managing child abuse and child sexual abuse, training social workers and para-social workers, and orienting District Child Welfare Boards
• Build the capacity of paralegal committees, women’s federations and child clubs to raise awareness of early intervention, reconciliation and mediation, and advocate against violence, exploitation and abuse in collaboration with young people and the media, by training paralegal committees and District Resource Groups, documenting cases, orienting local media, orienting child clubs, and expanding paralegal committees.
• Improve justice for children through greater access to human-rights-based juvenile justice mechanisms including juvenile benches, women and children units, mediation and diversion programmes, alternative mechanism to imprisonment, by supporting the government to establish monitoring and reporting mechanisms at the district level.

Expected results

By 2010, district child protection systems will be functioning in 23 districts, and will be able to reduce and respond to violence, exploitation and abuse against children and women. Paralegal committees, women’s federations, and child clubs will raise awareness in the community on early intervention, reconciliation and mediation, advocating for the rights of children and women to protection, and encouraging the participation of young people and the media.

Teachers, health workers and social workers will be able to prevent and respond to violence, exploitation and abuse against children. Teachers will refrain from using corporal punishment and classrooms will be places of dignity in learning. Service providers will be able to detect and handle cases of abuse in a sensitive, timely and effective manner.

Justice for children will be improved, based on human rights principles. Diversion programmes will be developed with community-based organisations, and women’s and children’s service centres will be established at district police offices. Juvenile justice benches will be functioning in 13 districts.