In 2019, Bablu Lama, an insurgency-era torture victim from Kavrepalachok, applied at the district’s Education Unit for free education for his child. The unit asked him to produce evidence that he was a conflict victim to qualify for the benefit.

He received an identity card from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and submitted it to the education unit. But the unit denied his application, saying only children of enforced disappearances are eligible for such opportunity.

“Since then, I have never sought any kind of state support. I have no hope for any support from the state now,” said Lama at an event on Thursday. “I have completely lost faith in the state.”

Like Lama, thousands of victims from the 1996-2006 Maoist insurgency, who have been seeking some kind of state support, have remained neglected even 18 years after the peace process commenced.

A study by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Nepal unveiled on Thursday shows most of the insurgency era victims from the state and then insurgents are living tough lives as successive governments have paid little attention towards their social, economic and cultural rights. Though some of such rights are enshrined in the constitution as fundamental rights, they remain unimplemented.

The study conducted in five districts suggests those recruited as child soldiers by the Maoists were deprived of education because they had left their schools to join the insurgency. They had already crossed school going age by the time the Maoist joined the peace process. “It is not possible for them to get good jobs because of the lack of education. As a result they are unable to provide good education to their children,” according to the report. “Different generations have been trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty.”

During the verification by the United Nations Mission in Nepal, a total of 2,973 were listed as minors.

Scores of children during the insurgency were deprived of education as their schools were bombarded while several of them were abducted. Similarly, the children of parent(s) who were killed or forcibly disappeared during the insurgency were compelled to quit their education in the lack of funds for their fee or the incidents had traumatised them, according to the report. And there was no government support which still continues.

“Most of the victims sought support in education followed by health service, employment opportunities, residence, social protection and protection of cultural rights,” said Karuna Parajuli, a legal advisor to the ICJ who was involved in the study.

Scores of the victims, who got different types of health complications due to torture, bullets, sexual violence and mental torture, are still waiting for their treatment. “The situation of victims of torture and sexual violence remains the worst,” according to the report.

As claimed by the ICJ, health screening conducted by National Association of Conflict Rape Victims among the victims of insurgency era victims of sexual violence had shown than most of them had developed serious health complications. Among 127 of 300 women victims were diagnosed with serious complications. An overwhelming 70 percent of the 127 have one or multiple reproductive health-related complications. As per the medical report, after the second round of checkups, 11 percent have had their uterus removed, while 6.22 percent need immediate surgery to remove the uterus.

With no serious government effort, the association has shouldered the responsibility for the health checkup.

Putting her views during the report launch, Mandira Sharma, senior international legal advisor to the ICJ, said lack of respect to people’s social, economic and cultural rights had fuelled the decade long insurgency. “Continuous reluctance towards ensuring these rights can ignite yet another conflict,” she said. “The three tiers of governments must develop an overarching policy to address the needs of the conflict victims.”