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Justice in the SDGs for Nepal’s Women and Dalits

The Kathmandu Post is running an OpEd by Som Niroula and Neetu Pokharel, of the Alliance for Social Dialogue in Nepal, that argues for the inclusion of justice targets in the new development goals. This, they argue, is the best way  of ensuring enforcement of Nepal’s obligations to women and those who suffer caste discrimination.

“A large number of Nepali women and members of marginalised communities continue to be deprived of justice,” write Som and Neetu. “They often face huge challenges in trying to secure a legal identity through citizenship, birth registration, marriage registration or land ownership. There are few prosecutions for violence against women—although surveys find that one-third of women suffer from domestic abuse.

Caste-based discrimination still remains a central feature of life in Nepal. Dalits face a powerful combination of social discrimination and violence that condemns them to a life of second-class status. Perpetrators are rarely prosecuted. Dalits’ limited access to justice has three main causes: widespread lack of awareness of anti-discrimination law, ingrained indifference in the authorities—who refuse to register police reports, investigate cases or prosecute those who practise ‘untouchability’—and the fear in victims of making a report when they suffer caste-based violence and discrimination.”

Read the full OpEd on the Kathmandu Post website: http://www.ekantipur.com/2014/09/23/opinion/righting-the-wrong/395468.html

Visit the website of the Nepal Justice 2015 campaign: http://nepalpost2015.wordpress.com


September 23, 2014 | Namati

Region: Asia   |  South Asia

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