Nepal fails to deliver on commitment to women

22 April 2009, 11:40AM

Uma Singh, a young woman journalist and activist, was murdered for raising the issue of violence against women in Nepal. Uma, who worked for Radio Today FM and the Women's Human Rights Defender Network, was hacked to death by a gang of men on 11 January 2009.

In June 2008, Laxmi Bohara, from Kanchanpur, was severely beaten and then reportedly murdered by her husband and mother-in-law who were not happy with her working to defend human rights.

Rita Mahato, a health counsellor with the Women's Rehabilitation Centre which helps survivors of domestic and sexual violence, was threatened with rape and murder in June 2007 when men who objected to the centre’s work raided her office.

When counsellor Dev Kumari Mahara attempted to file a formal complaint about a rape case in April 2007, the accused contacted a group of supporters who started to harass her, with some gathering outside the police station. "They threatened to kill me, to chop off my legs, to rape me and burn me alive," said Dev Kumari.

To date, the police have made no significant attempts to investigate or prosecute the above crimes.

Local activists show solidarity

On Wednesday 15 April, Amnesty International Australia held a silent vigil outside the Nepalese Consulate in Melbourne's CBD. Purple flowers were worn and purple balloons were held to show solidarity for Nepal’s women human rights defenders.

Signs in Sanskrit and English read: Government of Nepal: remember your commitment, stop violence against women and protect human rights.

The group also delivered to the consulate a letter asking Nepali leaders to abide by their promises, along with a purple flower.

A year on, little has changed

Amnesty International has found that, in spite of the election promises made by the recently-elected Nepali government, women human rights activists continue to be at high risk of attack because they dare to challenge Nepal’s patriarchal divisions. Many have become social outcasts for raising the issues of domestic and sexual violence and are targets of intimidation, beatings and even death. The Nepalese police often refuse to file a complaint or to fully investigate attacks and offer no protection.

The new Constituent Assembly in Nepal was elected on 10 April 2008. The elections brought hope for placing human rights at the heart of the Constituent Assembly work and the new Maoist government made specific commitments to end impunity and improve the human rights situation in Nepal, including the rights of women and women human rights defenders.

Following an extended protest by women human rights campaigners in July, initiated after the alleged murder of Laxmi Bohara and subsequent failure of police to properly investigate the crime, the government established a task force to make recommendations regarding violence against women. The task force has yet to submit its report, which was promised within two months.

"When the Maoist Government came to power it made commitments to protect women's rights but these now seem like false promises," said Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Deputy Director. "Now that they are in government, all the revolutionary rhetoric has not resulted in real improvements in women's lives."

"Women activists play a crucial role in Nepal, where many women are unaware of their rights and are afraid of confronting social and government authority," she said. "Women activists are singled out for violent attacks as it further promotes a culture of silence and discourages women experiencing violence to speak out."

Do something now

Amnesty International is calling on the Nepali Government to take urgent action to:

• Ensure the safety and protection of women human rights activists, particularly in rural areas
• Develop a national plan of action, including the establishment of safe shelters/homes and other facilities for women survivors of violence
• Take all possible measure to ensure justice, truth and reparations for crimes of violence against women committed during and after the conflict

You can join Amnesty by calling on:

• The Prime Minister of Nepal to ensure the protection of women human rights defenders who are being assaulted and intimidated in his country.
• The Nepali Inspector General of Police to guarantee Rita Mahato’s safety as she continues her work with victims of sexual assault.

Time for justice

Activists like Dev Kumari live in hope of justice. She says, "I will keep on fighting but I want the members of Constitution Assembly to take up the rights of women. We are waiting for justice".

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