Protracted protests in the Tarai have denied children their right to education, protection and health, Save the Children said on Thursday.

On the eve of the 26th Universal Children’s Day, the organisation that promotes children’s rights, appealed the stakeholders to put children first. Schools in the Tarai have remained shut for over three months now, while the schools operation has become difficult in the towns due to shortage of fuel. The concerned organisations have asked the government to put the child first. In a statement, Save the Children said the humanitarian work has been disrupted due to short supply of materials. “But with supplies at only around 10 percent of the normal flow, Save the Children is unable to deliver winter supplies to many households in the earthquake-hit districts,” read the statement. “The families, especially those affected by the earthquake, now face winter without permanent shelter, lack adequate clothing and blankets to withstand freezing temperatures, and also lack fuel for cooking and heating purposes.”

“Aid agencies are having to curtail their operations with serious questions being raised on the adherence to humanitarian principles,” said Delailah Borja, country director of Save the Children.

World remains unfair place for poor children

The world remains a deeply unfair place for the poorest and most disadvantaged children despite major advances since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, a recent Unicef report said.

“In just over a generation, the world has cut child death rates by half, put over 90 percent of children in primary school, and increased by 2.6 billion the number of people with access to safe water. Yet children make up almost half of the world’s poor, nearly 250 million children live in conflict-torn countries, and over 200,000 have risked their lives this year seeking refuge in Europe,” said Unicef Executive Director Anthony Lake.