Political parties commit not to use children in election

KATHMANDU, April 19: Leaders of the major political parties have expressed collective commitment not to use children in the local level election on May 14 and to include issues of child protection in their election manifestos.

Speaking in the political dialogue on children’s rights and protection of children in election organized by Child Rights and Child Protection in Election Advocacy Campaign here today, Leaders of the different political parties made the collective commitment not to use the children in the election campaigning.

On the occasion, Krishna Subedi and Yubaraj Ghimire handed over a 19-point memorandum on protection of children and their rights on behalf of the Campaign to the party leaders.

CPN (UML) secretary Pradip Gyawali vowed that his party would not use children in the election and place child protection and child rights issues in priority of the local government.

Nepali Congress leader and lawmaker Bhimsen Das Pradhan said the Nepali Congress would not enlist persons below 16 years as party members and stressed that his party was serious regarding the children’s rights. The issues related to children would be prioritized in the election, he added.

CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Lilamani Pokharel said although his party used children in the election in the past it would not henceforth.

CPN (ML) general secretary CP Mainali expressed the conviction that the local government to be formed would be able to carry out works for the child rights protection in the right sense.

Spokesperson of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Roshan Karki underlined the need of prohibiting the parties from using children in the elections and her party too would refrain from using children for that purpose. RSS