Lenin Bista guest at Shelter City
April 03, 2019
Human rights defender Lenin Bista will be a guest in Tilburg in the context of Shelter City until the end of June. This is an initiative for human rights defenders at risk in their home countries.
Lenin Bista (31) is from Nepal. There he is chairman of the Discharged People's Liberation Army Nepal (D-PLAN) and he heads the Peace Envisioners organization. Lenin and his colleagues are committed to former child soldiers.
Guest lessons
During his stay in Tilburg, Lenin will give guest lessons at the Koning Willem II College, the Theresialyceum and the Beatrix College. He is a guest of the city council and talks with councilors. He will also visit the European Parliament in Brussels and lecture for students and employees of Tilburg University.
Not qualified
Lenin demands fair treatment and abolition of the 'unqualified' label that applies to former child soldiers in Nepal. Bista himself was a child soldier at the age of 11. He says about that: "I was 11 when I walked with a weapon. I should have gone to school then. This is one of the things in my life that I regret most." About 3,000 minors were forcibly recruited during the civil war in Nepal. As minors, they were excluded from the peace settlement in 2006. Because they spent their childhood fighting, many ex-child soldiers are uneducated and find it difficult to find work as adults. In addition, they often face significant stigmatization from the community.
His stay in the Netherlands (Tilburg) gives Lenin the space to reflect on his work in Nepal. He wants to raise awareness about the problems of former child soldiers and therefore likes to speak at meetings. He wants to learn about peaceful transitions and expand his international network. He has noticed that international attention to his business contributes to his safety.
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