UNICEF condemned the placement and explosion of bombs at more than half a dozen schools in Kathmandu Valley today. According to reports, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and suspicious packages were placed in at least eight schools, and two of these IEDs exploded and caused damage to school infrastructure in 20 September 2016,.

 "Schools are meant to be safe havens, whether in the public or private domains, and must remain as areas where children can learn and grow up in safe and happy environment free from any violence and threats," said Mr. Tomoo Hozumi, UNICEF Nepal Representative.  "When some political activists resort to blowing up schools, I urge them to think about how they would have felt if someone else had done the same thing to their schools or favourite places during their own childhood.  The sense of fear must have been tremendous and could have been traumatizing.  I call on those who are involved in this and other acts of violence and threat against schools and other child-related facilities to put themselves in children’s shoes.”

 "All political parties in Nepal have signed on a commitment to "Keep Children Safe" under any circumstances, including the time of political tension, and to let children and schools remain as Zones of Peace.  Yet time and again, even after a decade following the end of armed conflict, schools and schoolchildren are still being subjected to violence and threat in various forms.  This must simply stop."

 "Children should not be victimized or targeted due to differences in ideologies of adults.  UNICEF condemns the violation of children's fundamental right to education, and urges all parties to adhere to the commitments they have made repeatedly to uphold the obligations of the international treaties and conventions on child rights."