Calls have been made to revise the Children’s Act in line with the new constitution. The Act formed in 1992 and amended in 2000 needs to make birth registration compulsory and specify the eligible age for children to work and marry, among others, to make it comprehensive, suggested child rights campaigners. 

“Birth registration within 45 days of birth must be made compulsory in the Act which will help to ensure that children are not deprived of fundamental rights provided by the state like citizenship, to stop the practice of increasing one’s age to make fake passports and to control child labour,” said Yubaraj Roka of Child Development Society.

Child rights workers have also demanded that the age of a child liable for punishment must be raised. The Act states that a child aged 10 years and above will be liable for a criminal punishment. “The age bar must be raised, after all the intention is to make a just society and teaching children the consequences of bad work,” said Advocate Indu Tuladhar, adding  that the Act must also bar political parties from using children in protest and other political activities.