Understanding Youth Political Violence in Nepal

Abstract

Social, economic and political injustice promotes violence among youth. Political parties involved in Nepali democratic upheavals resort to violence; this is where youth are portrayed as major actors in performing violent acts. Youths have always taken part in these political struggles. Political parties have used facts that relate to people suffering from various miseries as a means of manoeuvring and mobilizing youth to participate in armed struggles and uprisings. One would expect these violent episodes to have decreased as the country is now transitioning from armed conflict towards a sustainable peace, but instead postwar Nepal has been continuously facing challenges that youth are posing through their violent behaviours. Addressing issues of unemployment, a corrupt political culture, nepotism and inappropriate political socialization are factors which require urgent responses with political commitment to stop youth participation in political violence. One way to realize this would be to encourage youth engagement in positive peace-building endeavours in Nepal.

Youth, politics, and youth‐led political violence in Nepal

“…Both types of mobilizations have occurred in Nepal, which provides evidence of how important the youth could be in the process of attaining goals for political parties as the main mobilizer. The youth played a pivotal role in strengthening political parties and political revolutions that Nepal experienced at certain times, for example, in the 1950s there was the struggle against the Rana regime, then the rebellion from 1960 to 1990 against the party‐less Panchayat administration, the Maoist armed insurgency that stretched from 1996 to 2006, and several other ethnopolitical uprisings that took place from 2006 onwards continuing through to the present day (Joshi & Rose, 1966; Mishra, 1994; Shrestha & Jenkins, 2019). Henceforth, all major political parties in Nepal have their own youth wings, which they are mobilizing to widen their influence or protect and promote the party through demonstrations or engaging in violent activities toward groups that hold rival political ideologies (Watson & Crozier, 2009).…”

“…This phenomenon must be contextualized in accepting that there has been autocratic rule in Nepal for several hundred years, which has created vast gaps between rich and poor, higher and lower ethnic/caste groups, and cities and villages in terms of levels of development and wealth accumulation. These forms of gaps are the reasons for people's misery, which exposes them to political manipulation and violence in the name of emancipation (Shrestha & Jenkins, 2019). Consequently, Nepal's complex political history is filled with terror, violence, and killings (Griffin, 2015) as well as peaceful regime change through a people's revolution as seen in Jana Andolan I and Jana Andolan II 4…”

“…What started as a class‐based armed mobilization, the Maoist insurgency uncharacteristically combined identity politics with class conflict to revolutionize the masses against the state system (Subedi, 2018). The Maoist insurgency was fought on the basis of arguments that were claiming to liberate the people from autocracy and feudalism and bring social justice to marginalized people, including women, ethnic minorities, and indigenous peoples (Adhikari, 2014; Hutt & Onta, 2017; Shrestha & Jenkins, 2019). In other words, the Maoist insurgency sought to transform the state through the use of violence.…”

“…The political forces, including promonarchy, prodemocratic, and pro‐Maoist parties, have chosen to engage in political violence on several occasions, not only demanding political and democratic reforms but also seeking control over state authority and resources (Subedi, 2018). Contributions that youth make in such violent movements are arguably avoidable (Shrestha & Jenkins, 2019). However, evidence suggests youth involvement in political violence climaxed during the Maoist armed insurgency (Nepal et al, 2011; Subedi, 2018; Thapa & Sijapati, 2004).…”

Social and Political Youth Associations: Their Role in the Development of the Political System of the Russian Federation

“…Young people trust the president more than other politicians, but it is fair to say that trust is half as much as an influence (Shrestha and Jenkins, 2019). However, young people are the most active in the presidential elections.…”