Last 22 and 23 June, PE took part in Kathmandu, in a meeting with various actors in the protection of children in South Asia and each of the eight ministers in charge for social affairs in 8 countries in the region: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The purpose of this meeting? Formalize the adoption of a plan of action of 5 years for child protection with a budget made for its implementation. In other words, urge governments to make available various organizations (governmental or not) the means necessary to protect children and to work on the main bottlenecks that are early marriage, corporal punishment, trafficking, child labour and sexual exploitation.

Alongside grassroots actions that we are usually conducting, this initiative is the work done by NGOs to involve the authorities and to gradually take greater control of the fate of children in Nepal.

Childrens’ participation

Childrens’ participation is a must for developing recommendations concerning them and that is why two children from each country took part in preparations for the ministerial meeting. PE was responsible for forming a "delegation" consisting of 16 Nepalese children who then elected their two spokespersons.

To illustrate their point, they had previously spent a day together to express through their drawings visions, feelings, experiences and recommendations on the protection and child abuse. Supervised by a professional of "art therapy", two art teachers and a coordinator of PE, they have completed five paintings that were exhibited during the meetings, supplemented by an analysis of the "art therapist".