Hope in Nepal

A liberation of at least 3,000 child soldiers in Nepal was held between January and February of this year. These children fought during the "People's War" for the Maoist party (or Unified Communist Party of Nepal) in 1996 as they tried to overthrow the current Nepalese government and the Prime Minister Ser Bahadur Deuba. Bloody conflicts between the two parties continued throughout the decade and into the 21st century as the Maoists relied on a large amount of minors in battle. It's estimated that 12,000 of the soldiers of the party were under the age of 18. The UN along with the Nepalese government was in charge of the release of the children. Speaking for the UN was Karin Landgren, chief of the UN Mission in Nepal,

“You who are now leaving the cantonments are no longer in the Maoist army chain of command. The period of your life dedicated to armed struggle is now in the past. You have a role in helping make Nepal a country that is just, equitable, democratic and peaceful.”

With their discharge they are given a small amount of money and rehabilitation assistance including formal schooling, vocational training, education as heath workers, and help with starting small businesses.

The Himalayan Times, a newspaper stationed in Nepal, covers this story with a great amount of stress on the future of these children with very little to no glances back to the history of these tragedy. It is mainly focused on what is being done to help these children and what's planned to be done to help these children, yet nothing is mentioned (in any amount of detail) about what has been done to these children within the borders of their country.

Al Jazeera, a newspaper stationed in the Middle East, relays the story with a great amount of symbolism with a 'fairy tale ending' feel about it. "Around 250 young men and women are to swap their blue People's Liberation Army uniforms for civilian clothes on Thursday to begin their jouney home..." writes the journalist(s) at Al Jazeera. I thought it was interesting and very relevant that they included quotes from the People's Liberation Army spokesman, Chandra Prasad Khanal:

"For us this is a sad moment because we are sending away our fellow fighters in the decade-long people's war. But we are taking this step in order to bring the peace process to a logical conclusion."

In contrast to it's opening paragraphs, Al Jazeera did mention a shadowed part of the situation, a part that neither of the other news sources included. It was the fact that some of these child soldiers expressed regret when leaving the camp. Creating a sense that it might not be a "happily ever after" after all.

Also reporting on the release of the Maoist child soldiers was, of course, the UN News Centre. They started the article right off with the history of the children in the war and continued with the focus on the lives of the children. Quoting Gillian Mellsop, Country Representative for the UN Children's Fund,

“The release of these young people today is not only symbolic for the country but a milestone for these young men and women who spent their formative years inside a military structure losing out on critical skills vital for adulthood.”

It was clear that the UN had a specific agenda, and wanted to shed light on their good deed, not that they shouldn't. Yet, it was pure of all setbacks.

There are many different ways to tell the same story. Shifting the point of view and focus can change the entire tone of the report, creating a whole new feel when reading it. These are examples of this manipulation.


Sources:

Bhattarai, Kamal D. "Signature seal to release Maoist child soldiers." The Himalayan Times. 16 Dec. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2010.

"Maoism." Wikipedia. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

"Nepal child soldiers leave UN camps." English.aljazeera.net. Web. 28 Feb. 2010.

"Nepal: UN hails release of all child soldiers by Maoists." UN News Centre. UN News Service, 8 Feb. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2010.