"I was only 15 years old when I was forced to flee my home after my father, Shiva Prasad, was brutally killed by the Maoist rebels six years ago. He was our only breadwinner and his death has severely impoverished our family.
"I cannot forget the crime against my family. My father was barely 43 years old and he was so brutally killed. He was executed in public. His throat was slit. How can we ever forgive these Maoists for such a crime?
"I have four younger siblings and my mother and all of us had to leave our native village, abandoning our farms, house and other property in our remote village of Gorkha district [nearly 700 km northwest of the capital, Kathmandu]. We survive with low-income jobs in the capital and I am responsible for the welfare of my siblings and mother.
"My father was a good teacher and his only crime was that he could not afford to pay the ‘donation’ demanded by the local Maoist cadres. He also refused to join their People’s War [between 1996 and 2006], as he wanted to commit his life to teaching.
"Today I am 21 years old and trying hard to forget the incident that has affected my family so much. I am trying hard to make a living to look after my family and also going to college to complete my education and follow in the footsteps of my father as a teacher.
"Today, the Maoists are joining the government with the seven national parties and many victims and their families are still wondering if we should accept them. All we want is justice served against the perpetrators, not just the Maoists but also the state security forces who were responsible for making so many children orphans. Both have been responsible for making many young women, such as my mother, widows.
"It is good that the armed conflict has ended and that the Maoists are joining mainstream politics in a peaceful way but we want the Maoist leaders to be accountable by punishing their many cadres for their crimes against humanity.
"All we want is the Maoists and the parties to form a national truth commission when they form a new government soon. Many children who have become orphans or lost one of their parents have formed our own organisation called the Society of Terror Victims and are lobbying hard in the capital to ensure that both the Maoists and security forces responsible for crimes against the innocent Nepalese people be punished."
at/sz/mw
"I cannot forget the crime against my family. My father was barely 43 years old and he was so brutally killed. He was executed in public. His throat was slit. How can we ever forgive these Maoists for such a crime?
"I have four younger siblings and my mother and all of us had to leave our native village, abandoning our farms, house and other property in our remote village of Gorkha district [nearly 700 km northwest of the capital, Kathmandu]. We survive with low-income jobs in the capital and I am responsible for the welfare of my siblings and mother.
"My father was a good teacher and his only crime was that he could not afford to pay the ‘donation’ demanded by the local Maoist cadres. He also refused to join their People’s War [between 1996 and 2006], as he wanted to commit his life to teaching.
"Today I am 21 years old and trying hard to forget the incident that has affected my family so much. I am trying hard to make a living to look after my family and also going to college to complete my education and follow in the footsteps of my father as a teacher.
"Today, the Maoists are joining the government with the seven national parties and many victims and their families are still wondering if we should accept them. All we want is justice served against the perpetrators, not just the Maoists but also the state security forces who were responsible for making so many children orphans. Both have been responsible for making many young women, such as my mother, widows.
"It is good that the armed conflict has ended and that the Maoists are joining mainstream politics in a peaceful way but we want the Maoist leaders to be accountable by punishing their many cadres for their crimes against humanity.
"All we want is the Maoists and the parties to form a national truth commission when they form a new government soon. Many children who have become orphans or lost one of their parents have formed our own organisation called the Society of Terror Victims and are lobbying hard in the capital to ensure that both the Maoists and security forces responsible for crimes against the innocent Nepalese people be punished."
at/sz/mw
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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