Keep Children Out of Party Politics

Children everywhere must be kept away from party politics. Our country declared schools as Zones of Peace in 2011, ratified international commitments on child rights, and enacted laws that bars the political exploitation of minors. Those measures came after years of painful experience, when children were drawn into political movements, street protests, and even armed conflict. The latest controversy surrounding the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has shown that the task of keeping minors away from politics still requires serious attention. The revelation that RSP's internal report identified 35,257 members under 18 years old has aroused genuine public worry. Then again, the party insists that the numbers were the outcome of a technical mistake and that birth dates were recorded as the Gregorian calendar rather than the Bikram Sambat one. A database error can happen, but when the reported number runs into tens of thousands across every province, the burden falls on the party to prove that no child was knowingly enrolled as a member. The issue extends far beyond one political party. Nepal's Constitution, the Political Parties Act, and the Children Act all prohibit the political exploitation of children or require party members to be adults. Nepal has also committed itself to protecting children under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. These measures have been put in place mainly because when children are exploited as political tools, their schooling, overall growth, and liberty suffer seriously. Political parties in Nepal for quite some time have used children at rallies, carrying party flags, handing out campaign materials, and repeating the slogans that were developed by the adults.

During the Maoist insurgency, many children were forcefully recruited to the political and military camps, which left thousands of children suffering physically and mentally and these effects remained deeply with them for years. The nation's switch to democracy was meant to put an end to that and not to bring it back in another form. Educating children about democracy is not only permissible but also urgent. Schools should promote discussion, logical thinking, and political literacy. It is important that the young are aware of government operations, the significance of voting, and the ways of the public holding their elected representatives accountable. That is civic education. Formal membership in political parties is something entirely different. Membership creates loyalty, obligations, and organizational identity before children have reached the legal age to make those choices. The controversy also exposes an uncomfortable contradiction. RSP entered national politics promising to replace old political habits with transparency and accountability. It frequently criticizes traditional parties for treating public institutions as political extensions. If it expects higher standards from others, it must accept even higher standards for itself. Alternative politics cannot rest on technical excuses when questions arise about compliance with basic laws.

Regulatory agencies also have responsibilities that cannot be ignored. The National Human Rights Commission, the National Child Rights Council, and the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens should examine the matter independently instead of waiting for political complaints. Protecting children should never depend on partisan calculations. RSP now has an opportunity to demonstrate that accountability is more than a campaign slogan. It should immediately conduct an independent audit of its membership database, publicly release verified figures, remove any underage members, and explain how the error occurred. If minors are taken into parties as members, deliberately or without intention, the parties should apologize without hesitation. Accepting responsibility would strengthen, not weaken, its democratic credentials. Nepal cannot afford to normalize children's participation in party structures again. Democracy flourishes when citizens freely choose their political beliefs as adults, not when children are counted as party assets. Keeping children outside partisan organizations is not an obstacle to democracy, but is democracy’s most important safeguards.