Amnesty International revealed today that thousands of children across Nepal are
facing serious violence and abuse in the ongoing conflict in Nepal, where Maoist
rebels and security forces have been fighting a brutal internal conflict for the
last nine years.

In a report entitled, "Nepal: Children Caught in the Conflict", the organisation
said that Nepalese children are being killed, illegally detained, tortured, raped,
abducted and recruited for military activities and accused both sides to the
conflict of violating the most fundamental rights of children.

"This conflict is a disaster for the children of Nepal," said Purna Sen, Director of
Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Programme. "Some children have been directly
targeted by one or other party to the conflict, while hundreds more have died from
bombs and improvised explosive devices. Thousands of children have been forced to
flee their homes and face desperate poverty and exploitation."

Both sides to the conflict have been responsible for killing children. The security
forces have killed children they suspect of involvement with the Maoists, while the
Maoists have abducted and killed the children of security forces personnel, as well
as caused the deaths of many children by deliberately bombing civilian
infrastructure and leaving improvised explosive devices in civilian areas.

There have been disturbing reports of children suspected of affiliation with the
Maoist rebels being detained for long periods in army barracks, police stations or
prisons - often held together with adults. Many child detainees report having been
tortured by security forces during their detention.

Over the last few years the Maoists have abducted tens of thousands of school
children for "political education" sessions, held in remote locations. While most of
these children return home after a few days, some do not and it appears that the
rebels are recruiting children for military activities and forced labour, despite
the fact that the use of children under 15 in armed conflict is a war crime.

Education services have come under particular attack. Both sides have used school
premises for military purposes and the Maoists have bombed a number of schools,
injuring children. These attacks, combined with Maoist abductions of school children
and crippling strikes, mean that many of Nepal's children are missing out on vital
years of education.[Source: CRIN]

For more information, contact:
Amnesty International - International Secretariat
99-119 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4RE, UK
Tel: + 44 20 7814 6200; Fax: + 44 20 7833 1510
Email: info@amnesty.org
Website: http://www.amnesty.org