INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
She took up this role in November 2022
She has over 19 years of experience in organisational leadership
Roslyn holds a degree in Science from the University of Adelaide and has completed Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health from Curtin
University of Technology.This, combined with almost 2 decades of work in Asia in both development and humanitarian response, has made her a
thought leader in child focused programming.
Think tanks can play major role in guiding govt policies
Bajaj celebrates 25 years of leadership in Nepal
Bal Krishna Sah of The Himalayan Times discussed issues related to child rights and policies
Excerpts:World Vision International has been advocating against child marriage and crime against children for more than two decades now
How do you look at the progress the country has made?
World Vision International Nepal started work in 2001
It has been working in the sector of child protection, inclusive and quality education, nutrition, health, and livelihoods for over two
decades.Our key focus is ensuring the well-being of children and this is woven through our intervention in all the sectors we work.When WVI
started working in Nepal, the Children's Act was fresh to the country and Nepal was in the midst of the Maoist insurgency
The concept of human and child rights were raised in a very different setting.Over the years WVI has steadfastly collaborated with the
Government at different levels including the Central Child Welfare Board especially by supporting to create a mechanism in the government
system for children, and also ensured the formalization of children's concerns, improved their access to services along with raising the
profile of key challenges they were facing, including child marriage and crime against children.After the federalization, World Vision, in
collaboration with the government, created the urgency of having policies in place and proper implementation of those policies to realise
the rights of children reflected in practice
We were proud to have collaborated with the federal, province and local government in providing support in 26 policies for children.Keeping
in mind that the Government of Nepal has prioritised the elimination of child marriage by 2030, WVI Nepal has been implementing a multi-year
campaign - 'It Takes Nepal to End Child Marriage' - working together with the local government to mainstream the ending of child marriage
initiatives into their planning and budgeting.We are encouraged by the progress that has been made, but are acutely aware that much more
still needs to be achieved and successful interventions must be rapidly scaled up in order to achieve the 2030 targets.Local governments are
required to shoulder some key responsibilities in the new federal structure
Are they doing enough to protect children's rights?World Vision works on three aspects with the local government: 1) policy intervention, 2)
system strengthening, and 3) Implementation of policies
As an organisation that works for the well-being of children, we are very serious about ensuring that we follow the guidelines of the
government.A good example of this is Child-Friendly Local Governance.WVI has been collaborating with the local government to adopt and
institutionalise Child-Friendly Local Government (CLFG)
In the year 2022, six wards where WVI Nepal works were declared CFLG wards, and many more were supported along their path in achieving this
We believe that CFLG is an important mechanism that all wards must work towards achieving
This requires investment by the local government in order to see it come to fruition
Additionally, case management for any child protection violation, and creation of awareness among community members is also essential.How
strong is our anti-child marriage or violence law?Until the 1970s, child marriage was considered normal within the marriage culture of Nepal
Over time, child marriage under 10 years of age has largely been eradicated.Now, child marriage is a criminal offence from the perspective
of law.The current law sets the minimum age of marriage at 20 for both men and women
Under the law, adults who marry children, family members and other adults who arrange marriages of children, and religious leaders who
perform child marriages are all committing crimes and are subject to prosecution.The Constitution of Nepal 2015, for the first time,
explicitly prohibited child marriage as a punishable offence
At the same time, there are acts like Muluki Ain 2020, Children Act 1991 and regulation 1994, Vital Registration Act 1976, National Policy
for Children 1956 that have illegalised child marriage.Many of these legal frameworks have considered the underlying causes of child
marriage and socially valued customary practices, passed from generation to generation
For example, the National Strategy to End Child Marriage in Nepal, 2016, provides an overarching policy framework to combat child marriage
by 2030.In addition to the laws, policies and plan at the federal level, many local governments have developed their own strategy and plan
to end child marriage and are implementing them accordingly.We now have the Rights Of Children (Part 3, Fundamental Rights, Article 39 of
the constitution of Nepal)
Do you think this right is enough to ensure the safety of children?The Rights of Children has been assured by the Constitution of Nepal
which is an important step towards ensuring rights related to children.This enables the government to build Acts, policies, and regulations
on the four pillars of child rights
To supplement the provisions, there must also be efforts towards raising awareness at the level of all citizens and stakeholders on the
importance of child rights.Nepal's progress in terms of child protection is mixed
On a positive note, there are less child brides, a substantial increase in reporting to police in cases of violence against women and girls,
trafficking is increasingly being intercepted, laws and policies are more protective of children, specialised units in the justice sector
are in place, and data on children is increasingly available.Unfortunately, challenges persist.Children in Nepal still face many child
Though, the policy frameworks are there to facilitate the realisation of child rights, one of the major challenges is the consistent
implementation of those polices.What does World Vision International Nepal do to ensure children's safety, rights and how successful is
it?All children have the right to be protected against violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect
Yet, millions of children worldwide, including in Nepal, from all socio-economic backgrounds, across all ages, religions and cultures suffer
violence, exploitation and abuse every day
World Vision is a child-focused relief, development and advocacy organisation that has contributed to transformation of the lives of
millions of children around the world in vulnerable situations
We have long-term development programmes in 16 districts across six provinces of Nepal
WVI believes that every child has equal rights as provisioned in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and that their
well-being and future concerns us all.This work cannot be achieved by us alone, so we collaborate and partner with multiple stakeholders who
have common values of justice, love and hope
We work in partnership with local governments and partners, ensuring that communities, faith leaders, children and their families are aware
of child rights and the importance of a safe, nurturing environment in order to create environments where children can thrive.The growth in
confidence, skills and knowledge gained in youth attending rupantaran groups supported by WV here in Nepal is an inspirational success story
of the difference we are making in the lives of children.What amendment or changes should be incorporated to control crime against
children?THT One of the major requirements for controlling crime against children is to establish and functionalize child protection systems
at the local level.The government must appoint (not nominate) child welfare officer at the local level, along with formulation of the
working procedure, establishment of child fund, and appointment of psychosocial workers and social workers provisioned by the children's act
Together with this, the referral mechanism should also be strengthened.The government budgetary allocation to child protection services,
including but not limited to social welfare workforce, justice, policing, social work, case management, education staff, health workers,
legal aid, psycho-social support, and rescue, must be committed.Likewise, attention towards prevention efforts and required social change to
reduce child marriage, child labour, and violence must be given urgent attention
Unless deep-rooted, harmful social norms are addressed, children will not be free from violence, abuse, and exploitation
While doing all this, children who are marginalised or with special needs, including children with physical disability, children with
intellectual disability and mental illnesses should not be left behind.Imparting the right knowledge, age-appropriate life skills and
equipping children to make informed decisions should go side by side with creating an enabling environment for children to raise their
voices within the family, community, and all spheres of society
This must remain the focus of the government and CSOs like World Vision.Roslyn H Gabriel is the National Director for World Vision
International Nepal.A version of this article appears in the print on June 10, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com
