Conflicts claim 15,000 people in Nepal

The conflicts spanning over 10 years have claimed the lives of 15,000 people and 500 children in Nepal, chairman of the Institute of Human Rights Communication Nepal (IHRCN) said here Tuesday.

"About 10 percent of the total population of Nepal had been disabled in the past decade of violence," Shoba Gautam, chairman of IHRCN, a non-government organization, said at an interaction function on the topic role of the parliament in formulating legislation to control small arms.

Hundreds of women were raped while many were subjected to forced sex and violence in the past decade, she added.

"Revolver, pistol, riffle, sub-machinegun and other sharp weapons are the small arms as per international categorization," Bishnu Raj Upreti, an expert of INRCN, said presenting a working paper on the needs and challenges to control small arms in Nepal.

Small arms have become a major challenge to the Nepali government after it resumed talks with the guerrillas, Upreti said.

The state should implement the existing laws and rules effectively and must also make other relevant laws if deemed necessary in order to control and minimize the use and misuse of all kinds of small arms in the country, Upreti noted.

"The House of the Representatives, or parliament, should initiate to enact relevant laws for controlling small arms," he added.

Source: Xinhua