KATHMANDU: Numbers of children getting killed this year is twice the number what it was last year. This is the trend being noticed every year at least in the last 5 years. The incidents of crimes have not come down despite police intervention in the form of organizing public awareness programs on the issue and reaching out to the community. Criminals are just incorrigible; they are devilishly inclined to commit the crime targeting the children, no matter what.
Details of the incidents
On the side of Lazimpat road, a dead child with a slit throat was found on Jestha 30. HovindraBogati, Dy SP of Metropolitan Police beat, the dead body of a baby of almost 10 months old was stuffed in a plastic bag was recovered. A publicized incident of NirmalaPanta’s murder followed by a rape took place on Shrawan 10, 2075. She was 13, a resident of Kanchanpur. Continuous protests both in parliament and in streets of Nepal didn’t yield any result. Culprits were not found despite a dozen committee were put on the job.
Nepal Police interrogated about 500 people to crack the case of Nirmala Pant murder but remained inconclusive at the end. A dead body of two and half-year-old boy was taken into possession by Nepal Police with a slit throat in Dhalkebar, Dhanusha on Baisakh 23. As per the statement released by the District Police Office, a boy disappeared from his house only to be found all dead in a nearby bamboo forest.
Later police arrested some people on suspicion of sacrificing a boy for performing religious or magical rites. Last year on Mangsir 11, an eight-year-old boy disappeared suddenly from Gongabu, Kathmandu only to be found dead stuffed in a zebra bag. Police succeeded this time in arresting a man just within two days of tracing the dead body. The same year in the month of Shrawan, a boy named Nishan Khadka, a resident of Kandaghari, Kathmandu was kidnapped and then murdered. Two suspects were killed in a police encounter on the very day when a dead body was recovered. The killed suspects were involved in kidnapping and murder of Nishan, as evidence of the case suggests, said the police. These are indicative of few examples of vast number of crimes committed against children.
The data released by Nepal Police Headquarters reveal that about 100 children fall prey to criminals and lose their lives every year. In the current financial year, 75 children — 34 boys and 41 girls have already lost their lives.
How many children lost their lives and when?
Boys Girls Total
FY 2013/14 44 30 74
FY 2015/16 55 51 106
FY 2016/17 40 39 79
FY 2017/2018 38 44 82
FY 2018/19 (Till May 14) 34 41 75
Total 211 205 416
(Source: Nepal Police)
The above data released by Nepal Police Headquarters show that not much difference is reported in the number of boys and girls falling victims to criminals thereby losing their lives. In the last five years, 211 boys and 205 girls were killed.
Why children get killed?
DIG Bishwaraj Pokhrel, Spokesperson of Nepal Police, says that in some of the cases parents themselves kill their children after their marital relationship goes sour. Of course, criminal intentions of outsiders like kidnapping, abduction, blackmailing, rape are always there behind crimes against innocent children. Close relatives are also found to have been involved in crimes against children, Pokharel adds. Criminologist Madhav Acharya says that sometimes innocent children are caught up by criminals to eliminate them physically as they are found to be the eyewitness to a crime. Criminals kill other children who have seen a crime happening on the ground in a process of eliminating the first-hand evidence of a crime. For example, if a crime of rape has been seen by other children then criminals kill those who saw the crime taking place. Moreover, there are psychological problems — a pathological state which drives some to commit a crime against children even going to the extent of killing them.
Besides, there are a host of other reasons behind the killing of children. Marrying another woman, remarriage after a divorce or death of a partner, extramarital relationship and so on. Children being the helpless witness to all that happening around them fall victim to negative human emotions such as jealousy, hatred, revenge, and anger. And they get killed in the process with or without physical and mental abuse.
How to reduce crimes against children?
Criminologist Acharya suggests family plays a great role in keeping their children all safe and secure from any abuse or harassment which may turn out to be a crime later if not checked in time. Then comes the school where children must grow under the care and guidance of responsible and sensitive teachers. Children must be treated with positive vibes. If a criminal has killed a child just to eliminate the evidence, it is all the more serious case of crime and legal provisions must be made to give harsh punishment to perpetrators of such crime.
Police spokesman Pokharel says, we have devised a separate program to reduce the crimes against children in our society. We are going ahead with different types of programs including drama, skit, and write-up to raise the awareness level of society regarding proper safety and upkeep of the children. According to him, children also feel unsafe in the hands of their parents, therefore they are to be placed in an orphanage. Pokharel concludes, unless the community comes forward to reduce the crimes against children, Nepal Police will not succeed in preventing criminals from committing heinous crimes.