Still a long way to go

Lack of women in all sectors of Nepal, no women to in the decision-making process and lack of education and awareness. These are the main issues that need to be addressed according to the women at MS partner Women’s Welfare Association, WWA.

Durga Bhandari, Meena G.C., Dhana Paudel, Ganga Regmi and Budhisara Sunar from WWA celebrate the International Women's Day Photo by Malene Lærke

Life in Tansen is in the sign of the 97^th International Women’s Day. Women from the different political parties shout their way through the main street. First Nepali Congress, then UML and finally a huge group of female Maoists come through the bazaar demanding that the king leaves Nepal. Finally they gather at Tansens football field to a speech programme about women’s problems in Nepal

Photo by Malene Lærke

At Women’s Welfare Associations office MS coordinator Yubaraj Basyal writes the international slogan for the 97^th Women’s Day on the board at the meeting hall: Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls

For the women at WWA this day is important and later they will join the meeting organised the political parties and the Maoists to hear about women’ issues.

“There are still so many problems. There is lack of women in the decision making process, lack of education, women do not earn money but are busy doing house work. The Nepali society and culture is not good from a woman’s point of view and there is no emphasis on the daughter,” says assistant MS coordinator, Meena G.C.

“There is also the problem that some women actually get the chance to participate on the decision making level but they do not dare to raise their voices because they think that they are uneducated and back warded. Therefore you have to create a good environment so they dare to speak up,” says Budhisara Sunar, MS community mobiliser and WWA chair woman Dhana Paudel adds:

“If Nepalese women get an education and get aware they will be empowered and then they can get their rights and they dare to speak up.”

“That is right,” continues Ganga Regmi, member of the board at WWA. “Especially in the rural area women do not get an education and they lack awareness and don’t know their rights.”

Things are improving

Some things are improving though for Nepali women. More daughters are sent to school, women are getting involved in economic activities and men are aware of gender issues and it is openly discussed, tell the women at WWA.  

“Women are increasing getting organised on many different levels and this makes them more powerful and they can their voices and make room for change,” says Meena G.C.

The 1^st of June last year the Parliament unanimously passed a proposal which obliges the government to issue a citizenship certificate to an offspring with the mother as approver or legal guardian – previously this could only happen through the father, to guarantee proportionate representation in all state mechanism including jobs and other opportunities in the long run and to end all provisions in laws that discriminate against women. For now, it has proposed 33 per cent reservation for women at all levels of state mechanism.

“But why is it not 50 percent because 50 percent of the population is women,” asks Budhisara Sunar that points out that gender discrimination is a huge problem in the rural area where women struggle against domestic violence, girls trafficking and the risk of getting AIDS/HIV.

Hopes for the future

The women at WWA have big hopes for the year to come.

“I hope that by next year women organisations are very powerful and that the Nepali law and constitution protects women and gives us equal opportunity,” says Meena G.C.

“And I hope that the celebration of the Women’s Day will reach the rural areas and not only the big towns and if Nepal makes a new constitution it will give equal opportunity to women and stop the discrimination of women,” says Budhisara Sunar.

At the political meeting, which is run by Maoist women, many political voices talk about women’s rights and how important that is for the future of Nepal. The police talks against domestic violence and male political leaders about how important it is to include women in the decision making process.

“There are so many speeches about what should be done but there is nothing about how to do it or direction towards how we get there. I would like to hear something about that,” concludes Dhana Paudel.