International Mechanism Submissions

Nepal’s Compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child

72nd Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (17 May – 3 June 3, 2016)

Nepal has ratified a number of treaties relevant to its obligations to prevent child labor and the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children, as well as its obligations to provide all children in Nepal the right to education. Nepal ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 14 September 1990. Nepal also ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography on 6 January 2006 and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict on 3 January 2007.

During Nepal’s last review in 2004, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (Committee) noted in its Concluding Observations deep concern about “widely prevailing de facto discrimination against girls and children belonging to the most vulnerable groups” such as indigenous or ethnic minorities. Further, the Committee noted concern about the high dropout rate and the significant inequality in access to education, in part due to hidden costs associated with schooling. The Committee made several recommendations to the Government regarding education, including improving the accessibility to education, in particular for girls, and eliminating disparities.