Social Security For Children’s Development
Yuba Nath Lamsal
The theme of this year’s rescheduled National Children Day was primary education and social security to the children. The ‘Education For All’ has been a buzzword for some years now especially after the United Nations sought its member nations to meet basic needs of the people by 2015, which are called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) including the universal primary education. The second part of the phrase—social security to the children— does contain newness and has attracted public attention.
It has not been elaborated well what exactly the social security to the children meant in Nepalese context. But the social security is a new concept in Nepal, which, if implemented at all, would have a far-reaching and meaningful impact on society. This will certainly help ensure better bringing up and educating the children. The government has to come up with the details of the social security. It should not remain merely in slogans but needs to be translated into action.
Social security is central to other all securities like economic, psychological, emotional and cultural security. Nepal’s children especially from the poor and downtrodden section of the society are always insecure and vulnerable in all fronts. Moreover, the decade-long conflict has rendered the children especially in the rural areas more vulnerable than ever.
The security of children is of paramount importance at present. The security has two main aspects— freedom from fear and freedom from wants. But most children in Nepal are neither free from fear nor from wants.
When security of children comes to the fore, we must deal with the several issues both physical security, financial security and mental and psychological security. Does the concept of the social security the government has mooted cover all these issues?
Firstly let us discuss about the physical security of the children. Ever since the Maoist insurgency started and conflict intensified, it is the children who have suffered the most. Although the figures are sketchy, it is estimated that over 400 children were killed either in direct shoot out or they were caught in the crossfire. Several other children were injured due to armed conflict. The number of children who were abducted and arrested by the Maoists and security forces is in tens of thousands. Some children were even recruited as child soldiers and directly involved in war. Many more were used as messengers, informers and porters. Tens of thousands children have lost their parents. The number of children who have been displaced due to the conflict is quite more than that. This is a direct physical impact of conflict on children.
Secondly, the conflict has had a negative impact on the education of children. The school and children are the direct target of the parties in conflict. The classes were often hampered either due to the strike called by the Maoists or their other programme—be it political indoctrination or cultural in which children are forced to join. Even in some places, security forces set up camps inside or near school premises which indirectly disturbed the teaching learning process.
Moreover, many children fled villages either on their own or with their parents and relatives. These displaced children dropped schools and ended up as child workers. Their education has discontinued for years and it would be difficult for them to continue their studies even after the ceasefire.
Secondly, the mental and psychological trauma they have undergone during the ten years of conflict is untold. Some have seen their parents, siblings and relatives killed, tortured and abducted in front of them. This mental trauma will have very long effect on the overall development of these children, which can not be measured by any yardstick.
The ten year conflict has already pushed the nation at least 20 years backward. The children born immediately after the conflict began have already grown up as ten year old. This generation of children have seen and grown with the culture of violence around them. The violence has been deep-rooted in their mind and heart. So what would be their thinking, attitude and behavior? And what would be its impact in the society?
The other aspect that has direct bearing on the development of children is economic condition of the country. The abject poverty has inflicted almost half of the country’s population. The poor parents always find it difficult to feed their family, forget about meeting their basic needs like sending their children to school and ensuring their rights. Instead of sending the children to school, the parents would prefer the kids to work with them to support for the family, which has been a case with many downtrodden families in Nepal. When the family is starving, one’s priority is, definitely food. As a result, children either do not at all go to school or, even if they are enrolled in school, drop out soon and join the labour market. As a result, there are estimated 2.6 million children working in different labour sector, some of which are hazardous.
When they get sick, they have no or little access to healthcare facilities especially in the rural areas where most poor people live. Even in the urban areas, the costs of health care are getting so high that lower and middle class families hardly afford.
In addition, Nepal has been developing two parallel systems of education and health care. The privately own education and health institutions are, of course, better managed that cater relatively better quality of education and health service. But the poor people cannot afford for the service of these private education and health institutes. The public sector is poor in quality service both at education and health. The government now needs to take initiative either to raise the quality in the public schools and health institutes or regulate the private sector so that their services can be made affordable to all. It would do well if the government initiates the health insurance scheme, compulsory primary education, free text books, stationery at least for the children of families below poverty line and mid-day meal in all public schools. It will definitely go along way in ensuring education and health care for children and help meeting the target of Millennium Development Goal. The cocept of social security for children must cover all these things.
The theme of this year’s rescheduled National Children Day was primary education and social security to the children. The ‘Education For All’ has been a buzzword for some years now especially after the United Nations sought its member nations to meet basic needs of the people by 2015, which are called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) including the universal primary education. The second part of the phrase—social security to the children— does contain newness and has attracted public attention.
It has not been elaborated well what exactly the social security to the children meant in Nepalese context. But the social security is a new concept in Nepal, which, if implemented at all, would have a far-reaching and meaningful impact on society. This will certainly help ensure better bringing up and educating the children. The government has to come up with the details of the social security. It should not remain merely in slogans but needs to be translated into action.
Social security is central to other all securities like economic, psychological, emotional and cultural security. Nepal’s children especially from the poor and downtrodden section of the society are always insecure and vulnerable in all fronts. Moreover, the decade-long conflict has rendered the children especially in the rural areas more vulnerable than ever.
The security of children is of paramount importance at present. The security has two main aspects— freedom from fear and freedom from wants. But most children in Nepal are neither free from fear nor from wants.
When security of children comes to the fore, we must deal with the several issues both physical security, financial security and mental and psychological security. Does the concept of the social security the government has mooted cover all these issues?
Firstly let us discuss about the physical security of the children. Ever since the Maoist insurgency started and conflict intensified, it is the children who have suffered the most. Although the figures are sketchy, it is estimated that over 400 children were killed either in direct shoot out or they were caught in the crossfire. Several other children were injured due to armed conflict. The number of children who were abducted and arrested by the Maoists and security forces is in tens of thousands. Some children were even recruited as child soldiers and directly involved in war. Many more were used as messengers, informers and porters. Tens of thousands children have lost their parents. The number of children who have been displaced due to the conflict is quite more than that. This is a direct physical impact of conflict on children.
Secondly, the conflict has had a negative impact on the education of children. The school and children are the direct target of the parties in conflict. The classes were often hampered either due to the strike called by the Maoists or their other programme—be it political indoctrination or cultural in which children are forced to join. Even in some places, security forces set up camps inside or near school premises which indirectly disturbed the teaching learning process.
Moreover, many children fled villages either on their own or with their parents and relatives. These displaced children dropped schools and ended up as child workers. Their education has discontinued for years and it would be difficult for them to continue their studies even after the ceasefire.
Secondly, the mental and psychological trauma they have undergone during the ten years of conflict is untold. Some have seen their parents, siblings and relatives killed, tortured and abducted in front of them. This mental trauma will have very long effect on the overall development of these children, which can not be measured by any yardstick.
The ten year conflict has already pushed the nation at least 20 years backward. The children born immediately after the conflict began have already grown up as ten year old. This generation of children have seen and grown with the culture of violence around them. The violence has been deep-rooted in their mind and heart. So what would be their thinking, attitude and behavior? And what would be its impact in the society?
The other aspect that has direct bearing on the development of children is economic condition of the country. The abject poverty has inflicted almost half of the country’s population. The poor parents always find it difficult to feed their family, forget about meeting their basic needs like sending their children to school and ensuring their rights. Instead of sending the children to school, the parents would prefer the kids to work with them to support for the family, which has been a case with many downtrodden families in Nepal. When the family is starving, one’s priority is, definitely food. As a result, children either do not at all go to school or, even if they are enrolled in school, drop out soon and join the labour market. As a result, there are estimated 2.6 million children working in different labour sector, some of which are hazardous.
When they get sick, they have no or little access to healthcare facilities especially in the rural areas where most poor people live. Even in the urban areas, the costs of health care are getting so high that lower and middle class families hardly afford.
In addition, Nepal has been developing two parallel systems of education and health care. The privately own education and health institutions are, of course, better managed that cater relatively better quality of education and health service. But the poor people cannot afford for the service of these private education and health institutes. The public sector is poor in quality service both at education and health. The government now needs to take initiative either to raise the quality in the public schools and health institutes or regulate the private sector so that their services can be made affordable to all. It would do well if the government initiates the health insurance scheme, compulsory primary education, free text books, stationery at least for the children of families below poverty line and mid-day meal in all public schools. It will definitely go along way in ensuring education and health care for children and help meeting the target of Millennium Development Goal. The cocept of social security for children must cover all these things.
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