222 19 - 25 November 2004 24 Pages Rs 30

#222 19 - 25 November 2004 24 pages Rs 30 Know Your Rights A children’s guide to the Convention on the Rights of The road to war the Child Nepals highways used to be pocked with potholes, now they have landmine craters like this stretch in Kailali where five soldiers were killed on Tuesday. Weekly Internet Poll # 162 Q. Do you agree with the proposal for a special quota for disadvantaged groups in education? Total votes:584 Weekly Internet Poll # 163. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com Q. Are you proud to be a Nepali? RAMESWOR BOHARA RAMESWOR BOHARA In a brief but fierce firefight their barracks, it is working says political analyst, Dhruba in BANKE at Khairi Khola near Kusma on brilliantly. It is known as a Kumar. He says the army should Wednesday, eight APF tactical trap, explains military have expected this, and blames aoist highway ambushes personnel were killed. The strategist Indrajit Rai, a retired the high casualty on poor M in the first week after police had taken cover on the Indian military officer. When planning. The security forces Tihar indicate a side of the road, and were the vehicle hits the mine, the need to do much more work to dramatic shift in tactics by the ambushed by hundreds of soldiers are distracted and in improve intelligence, he adds. rebels. Maoists who ran away before a shock, that is when they are The army says it has been By blocking remote stretches nearby army contingent arrived. ambushed. able to penetrate rebel cells, of highways with trees, they lure The army says the rebels In the Krishnabhir attack on especially in eastern and central troops out of their barracks and have resorted to these "hit-and- Tuesday (see p 17) hundreds of Nepal (see p 7) and credit better ambush them. In four attacks in run attacks because they cant Maoists ambushed an army intelligence for the Maoists western and central Nepal on mount big raids on military convoy after setting off several inability to Tuesday and Wednesday, 19 bases anymore. The army has land mines along the Prithbi launch any major Editorial p2 soldiers and police were killed also launched pre-emptive Highway. Rai says the Maoists frontal assault The world is and weapons looted. airborne assaults in the Maoist need guns and ammunition since Beni in watching us At Agaiya on the East-West heartland in the midwest after since their supply lines from February. The Highway, police trucks are still Dasain. India have been disrupted. army has Indian-built mine- smouldering three days after six We had intelligence they They also need to arm new protected vehicles, but these are soldiers were killed. The were planning a big attack, but recruits, he adds. designed to withstand highway is cratered and trees we have been dispersing them, The Maoist offensive also explosions from below, not used for barricades litter the said one source. That is why indicates that they have roadside bombs planted on road. Buses and cars are plying they are forcing our security abandoned the political option slopes that come from the again after three days, but the patrols to respond to blockages for now. They failed to side. l faces of stranded passengers on the highways. mobilise the people through wear a haunted look. There are If the rebel plan is to get the ideological indoctrination, so (Additional reporting by no security forces in sight. soldiers out of the security of they are on full military mode, Navin Singh Khadka) 19 - 25 NOVEMBER 2004 #222 13 Children are caught in the middle of this conflict. Sometimes they are abducted by ‘Maoists and other times they are beaten by Where to start the security forces on the pretext of being Maoists. One friend was beaten senseless By Kul Chandra Gautam* by the Maoists in the classroom for protest- ing against them. Another friend was taken NICEF works to give every child the ‘ U by the security forces and has not been best possible start in seen since. The school gave his attendance life. How do we do that? We do so by working with record to the officials but were not able to parents and communities to get him released. give our children our love, a Boy, Doti family, and the best care and education that we can possibly provide for them. We try to anchor our children in a caring Information, community, a safe, healthy and protective environment. freedom of We try to give them time to learn, play and grow. We cannot know, in thought and advance, what is in our children’s future. And we cannot choose which child to speech, care for. We must care for them all. participation None of us expect our children to be born into an ideal world. But all of us These rights are about access to in- hope for them to be born into formation, about thinking and believing a world that is fit for Credit: UNICEF Nepal/2004/Chamberlain/0771 what you like, and about having your children. National vitamin A distributions help Nepal’s children fight say and being heard. Vitamin and mineral disease. They reduce eye problems caused by vitamin A deficiency is the source of deficiency, like not being able to see at night. the most massive “hidden he Convention says that you have the right to obtain hunger” and malnutrition in and share information of all kinds and in all forms, as GDP of many countries. body to absorb and retain T the world today. The enormous impact of essential vitamins and long as that information is not damaging to yourself or The “hidden hunger” due others. (13) Specifically, you have the right to diverse and micronutrient deficiency is minerals. to micronutrient deficiency largely invisible. Silently, It’s all been done before, reliable information from the mass media, especially (but does not produce hunger as fortunately not only) information aimed at your health and micronutrient deficiencies trap in the industrialized world. we know it. You may not people, communities and entire And the report shows that the well-being. Television, radio, and newspapers should provide feel it in the belly, but it information that you can understand, and should not promote countries in a cycle of poor technologies to do so are now strikes at the core of your health, poor educability, poor so simple and so inexpensive materials that could harm you. (17) health and vitality. It is “We have to be consulted because we live our problems, productivity and consequent that we can rapidly control especially damaging to poverty, often without the vitamin and mineral and we are the ones who know the solutions.” Santiago, 15, human brain, learning ability from Uruguay, speaking at the UN Special Session on victims ever knowing the deficiencies worldwide. and productivity. cause. If we combine our efforts Children Unfortunately, the “hidden You have the right to freedom of thought, and to follow Yet we’re dealing with a and our energy, we can have hunger” remains widespread, problem that has essentially an extraordinary impact in the your chosen religion. On the other hand, your parents and posing devastating threats to guardians should guide you, taking into account your ‘evolving been solved in much of the fight against vitamin and health, education, economic developed world, and for mineral deficiencies and capacities’ — that is, how able you are to make decisions growth and indeed, to human and understand the world around you. (14) So get those which there are available and achieve global progress in a dignity, in developing affordable solutions. way that few of us have capacities evolving! countries. Expressing your opinions (13) is another crucial right in We can fortify staple foods imagined to be possible. We also know today that such as flour, sugar, salt, this group. In particular, it is your right to have your say — micronutrient deficiencies are and be listened to — when adults are making decisions that margarine or cooking oil, with subtle and insidious. They essential vitamins and minerals affect you. And this should not just be lip-service. Your can cause blindness and brain opinions should be taken into account, and be given ‘due for a few cents per person per damage. They can induce year. weight’ according to your age and maturity. (12) stillbirths and abortions. They You also have the right to free association: that is, to get We can distribute vitamin make people fatigued and and mineral supplements, together with other children and young people and to join lethargic. groups and organizations. (15) especially to vulnerable groups They can make ordinary such as children. A vitamin A childhood diseases such capsule, for example, is as diarrhoea, malaria and effective for up to 6 months The other day they visited our school and measles fatal. They and costs as little as 2 cents. lectured us. I asked, “Why do you kill sim- contribute to the high rates of A three-month supply of iron maternal and child deaths. tablets for pregnant women ‘ple village people? Why do you ask money Micronutrient deficiencies costs 20 cents. from farmers?” They were upset by my render investment in We can ensure everyone is education less effective as questions and asked my friends about me. informed about the kinds of children are unable to foods that can increase the ‘ concentrate in their studies. *Mr Gautam, UNICEF Deputy Now the whole village knows and says, intake and absorption of Executive Director, made these To further compound this “Poor thing, now they will kill her too.” I feel vitamins and minerals.

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