About – CAPCRON

Founding Tale

In 1986, CAPCRON was conceived by volunteer legal aspirants and formally registered as a non-profit organization in 1991/92 with the District Administration Office in Kathmandu. In 1995, it received official affiliation from the Social Welfare Council (SWC), Nepal’s primary governmental body for social and community services.

CAPCRON’s initial goals were to provide vital legal and non-legal support to children and women, raising awareness about their rights under the Nepalese Constitution, international conventions, national statutes, and various directives and policies.

The organization’s inaugural research initiative in 1992, the ‘Baseline Survey on the Status of Child Rights in Nepal,’ exposed gaps in the implementation of children’s rights and the Rights to a fair trial for children in conflict with the law, highlighting the limitations in Nepal’s legal and policy frameworks. Since then, CAPCRON has consistently provided pro-bono legal counsel to children in conflict with the law and has actively promoted the comprehensive implementation of national and international instruments related to child rights, including the United Nations Child Rights Convention (UNCRC).

Our Accomplishments

Contributions at the Regional and National Level

• Successfully provided input for the 2023 report on legal empowerment by the UN Special Rapporteur, emphasizing Nepal's progress and challenges in the legal profession (5th May 2023).
• Submitted an open letter to the UN, alongside 617 civil society organizations, addressing the effective implementation of GA Resolution 1325 (2000) to ensure women's participation in peacemaking.
• Successfully lobbied for the introduction of the existing Child Rights Act, 1992, and Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation Act, 2000 in Nepal.
• Established jurisprudence from the Supreme Court against handcuffing juvenile delinquents (7th August, 2001) and for the establishment and functioning of juvenile benches (16th May, 2000).
• Advocated for the implementation and smooth functioning of laws and regulations related to children through national workshops and seminars.

Contributions at the District and Local Level

• Trained over 90 persons for District Resource Groups (DRGs) in 7 districts for paralegal training with support from UNDP/A2J (2009-2010).
• Established pro-bono legal clinics in 5 district bar units in partnership with ASF, providing training to 200 lawyers to enhance their professional capacity (2009).
• Offered pro-bono legal services to over 275 children on legal issues in 6 districts with support from ILO (2005-2006).
• Activated 6 juvenile benches in 6 districts with support from ILO (2005-2006).
• Conducted an on-the-spot survey of juvenile delinquents in detention centers in 10 districts with support from Save the Children-UK, the results of which were aired on national television (2005).
• Published and disseminated a research report on best practices of juvenile justice in District Courts with support from Save the Children UK (2005).
• Created and disseminated over 11 types of leaflets, 9 types of posters, and 1 reference book for paralegals.
• Trained over 250 district key stakeholders (lawyers, police, court personnel, public prosecutors, and jail administrators) on juvenile issues with the support of ActionAid (2003-2004).
• Provided direct free legal services to over 45 juvenile delinquents in 3 districts in cooperation with Save the Children-Norway (1998-2004).
• Acted as a consultation agency and training organization for various educational and capacity-building programs among the young population at the school level and in the organization of Model Provincial Assemblies promoting democracy and education.
• Organized bi-monthly educational and knowledge-breeding programs in various locations throughout the Kathmandu Valley, targeting young children and individuals below 18.

STATUS AND SHORT HISTORY

CAP-CRON was register in 1991 by a group of Child Rights Activists to facilitate children and women with the necessary support and assistance and to make them aware of their rights that are affirmed by various International Conventions, the Nepalese Constitution and different National Acts. The centre’s head office is in Lalitpur and additionally there are 27district chapters around the country. Based on the legislation of the organization 1992, CAP-CRON was registered as a non-profit, nongovernmental organization (NGO) with the District Administration Office of Kathmandu in the year 1992. It also got its affiliation with the Social Welfare Council (SWC) in 1995. The organization has been renewing its registration every year since. In 1992 CAP-CRON conducted a baseline survey about the status of child rights in Nepal. The survey showed the shortcomings of the child right situation, especially for delinquent children in Nepal. Thereafter free legal services have been provided to delinquent children by CAP-CRON lawyers and government bodies were trained on the implementation of the United Nations Child Rights Convention and national laws on child rights.

CAP-CRON's related interventions and achievements

CAP-CRON has been focusing its efforts on promoting service delivery mechanism at local government bodies.CAP-CRON conducted a pilot project in Bake, with financial and technical support from GIZ. The pilot showed that due to the applied methods and utilized IEC-materials the local people receive better access to citizenship cards a vital registrations. Gender justice was promoted especially through the approach of “male engagement”.

IEC-materials on the topics were developed and widely distributer in the pilot district Bake. In the second phase, in co-operation with the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD), most of the materials (three types of poster, flex banner and pocket booklet) were re-printed in a much higher edition with the CAP-CRON and MoLD logo. with the support of the LGCDP cluster co-ordination Units (CCU), the materials were distributed to all LGCDP community Awareness Center (CAC) and Ward Citizen forums (WCF), 58 municipalities and its 806 wards, 75 DDCs, 3913 VDCs and 35217 wards all over Nepal. In total nearly 45000 pieces of each poster, around 9500 pocket booklets and over 7500 flex banner have reached of Nepal.

CAPCRON's Footprint

At present, CAPCRON proudly identifies itself as a youth-led organization, engaging with a dynamic cohort of young individuals across the nation. Our current volunteers represent a diverse range of academic backgrounds, spanning fields such as Law, Information Technology, Literature and Fine Arts, Education, Social Sciences, and more.

Prior to the seismic events of the devastating earthquake in 2015 AD, CAPCRON’s geographical reach extended across 27 districts. This outreach was made possible through a rich network of dedicated lawyers, journalists, educators, child rights activists, and other committed stakeholders who generously contributed their time as volunteer groups. These CAPCRON district chapters played a crucial role in delivering essential support and counseling services, and many of them continue their vital work to this day.

Meet the Team

Bal Krishna Mainali

Founder

Hello & Namaste! I’m Bal Krishna Mainali, the founder of The Center to Assist and Protect Child Rights of Nepal (CAPCRON) Organization. Our organization is dedicated to champion a just and equitable society in Nepal where every child, woman and young individual can thrive though policy advocacy, capacity building and community empowerment. I established The Center to Assist and Protect Child Rights of Nepal (CAPCRON) in 1991 AD committed to promoting and safeguarding the rights of children, youth and women in Nepal. I am incredibly proud of the work our team has accomplished and am excited about the future of our NGO. We are always looking for dedicated individuals and partners to join us in our mission. Thank you for your interest in CAPCRON. I look forward to connecting with you and exploring ways we can collaborate to make a difference.

Regards,

Bal Krishna Mainali

Founder, CAPCRON