You are on page 1of 26

EMPOWERING WOMEN IN NEPAL

A 2010 REPORT

Presented by: Mark Wydra Sam Jay Tim Johnson Amanda Draper Emily Escobosa Elyse Le Cerf Alicea Maurseth

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Historical Background Key Issues Facing Women in Nepal Womens Literacy and Education Human Trafficking Patriarchy The Caste System Women and Maoist Political Reform Without Cultural Reform Status of Healthcare Recommendations Expansion of DFIDs Rural Access Program Revise Textbooks to Reflect Reform Combating Human Trafficking

1 3 3 5 8 9 10 12 15 16 16 18 20

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Nepal has many geographic, social and political variables impeding its progress. Until 2006 Nepal was a Hindu kingdom and had legitimized the Hindu caste system in the state, which further exacerbated inequality. The geographic terrain of the diverse countryside isolates vast proportions of the population from political participation, communication, trade, access to resources, services, and infrastructure, and thus impedes governing. The disenfranchisement and lack of resources have aggravated the lower rungs of the caste system making them ripe for extremism and insurrection. Gender disparity is common across all caste, ethnic, religious, and regional boundaries. Similar to Indian Hindus, Nepalese society is deeply founded in patriarchy. There are many marginalized ethnic and political groups in Nepal, but women make up an abused constituency of which they all share. Recent political

upheavals have challenged the very nature of Nepals institutions. To mend the problems in Nepal vast developments in infrastructure are required. Nepal today is under an interim government and is in the process of forming a new constitution by the May 2010 deadline (BBC Timeline: Nepal). According to recent Asian Development Bank statistics taken in 2008, 80% of Nepals population lives in rural areas and is isolated from modernizing economic opportunities, essential services, and resources (ADB Nepal Fact Sheet 2009). The urbanization rate is very low at only 4.9% leaving the majority of the country vastly decentralized with only 16.5% of the land cultivatable and only .9% used as permanent crop area. Nepals lack of natural resources and low level of industrialization has led to a 46 % unemployment rate and 24.7% of the population underneath the poverty line.

Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre reports that Nepal from 1961 through 2007 has consistently yielded the lowest rate of cereal productions in South Asia (Human Development Centre 73). Nepals landscape isolates the majority of the country and lacks adequate levels of cultivability. Nepal lacks the resources it requires to combat the problems it faces. Unlike India, economic protectionism in Nepal did not promote a developmental incubation period for industrialization. After Nepal won the 2year war with the British in 1816 the sovereign power was taken over by a group of hereditary ministers called the Ranas who by 1846 had managed to cut the country off from foreign dependence and influence. Their policy of economic protectionism of Nepal was able to protect it during the colonial era but Nepal did not have the resources or educated middle class to allow economic growth (BBC Timeline: Nepal)

thereafter. After independence in 1947 India continued the economic protectionism that the British had established until the 1990s when industry was privatized and the countrys protective tariffs were lowered. These economic policy changes help account for modern Indias rising power. Nepal on the other hand never experienced the beneficial legacies of colonialism and its own policy of protectionism did not promote internal development. This historically has contributed to Nepals current rating as the 14th most impoverished nation in the World (CIA World Fact Book Nepal). The Rana Regimes historical legacy also accounts for Nepal, in 2008, as being the most dependent on foreign investment, having the lowest GDP growth percentage, and the lowest GDP per capita of all South Asia (Human Development Centre 141).

KEY ISSUES FACING WOMEN IN NEPAL Lack of womens literacy The disparity in education between men and women including having access to available schooling Human trafficking of women Patriarchy often leading to domestic violence Gender based violence due to the persistence of the Hindu caste system Womens relationship with the Maoist Political reform to include women in the decision making processes Womens access to healthcare
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mccoryjames/4406939070/

showing the extreme disparity between male and female literacy, one cannot but be astonished that the 2010 literacy rate for men of 62.7% is nearly double the literacy rate for women of 34.9% (CIA Factbook). Literacy rates are thus a direct hindrance on womens mobility and empowerment within Nepalese society. Womens lack of education is a primary factor for the reproduction of

WOMENS LITERACY AND EDUCATION Nepal is among the most illiterate countries in the world with a disappointing 48.6% (CIA Factbook) of the overall population being literate. When this is broken down by gender for the purpose of

inequality. The UNs Millennium Development Goals, which are mirrored by the SAARC Development Goals, aim to ensure all children, boys and girls, will be able to complete primary schooling. This is a good initial step in producing a literate

generation to further build a fully literate country. In 2007 the Government of Nepal spent 3.8% of its GDP on education (UNDP). Net enrollment rates have steadily increased in the last decade, but are not projected to meet the 2015 goal of 100% universal primary education. The gender gap

major disparities (UNESCO). This means that if a girl starts school, she is just as likely as a boy to reach grade 5. The increase in net enrollment has been accompanied by uneven progress between girls and boys enrolled in primary education has reduced from 23% in 1995 to 12% in 2005 (UNESCO). Successful completion of grade 1 is only 50% with no throughout the country among different groups. The net enrollment rate in the Central Terai was 23% lower than in the Western Hills and the Central Development

Region was the lowest among the five development regions. In the districts of Mahottari, Sarlahi and Rautahat girls enrollment fell below 50% in 2003 (UNDP).

The Government of Nepal has made a firm commitment to education and literacy is increasing, particularly among young girls. Access to quality schooling is still inadequate in rural areas, but it is showing positive improvement. HUMAN TRAFFICKING Trafficking of women and children in Nepal has regional, national and international dimensions. Women are exported to the Middle East in limited

Overall, the gender gap has narrowed numbers and to India according to the ILO between boys and girls as measured by the at a rate of 12,000 women and children per Gender Parity Index from 1998 to 2004 year, mainly for exploitation in brothels or (Government of Nepal). However, the as forced labor. Some NGOs put the enrollment of girls is lower as they grow number as high as 20,000, but there is no older, with girls being less likely than boys official number because of the nature of the to complete schooling (UNDP). This can be crime. Girls trafficked are typically partially explained by the tendency of rural unmarried, illiterate, poor and 86% are families to send only boys to school. In under the age of 18 (Human Development urban areas most boys are sent to private Report), some as young as 6 years old. The school whereas girls are tend to attend key ploys for traffickers include public schools more frequently. employment-induced migration or the false

promises of jobs by individuals or agencies (54.8%), deception of false marriages (19%), holiday (14.3%) and abduction (11.9%) (Simkhada). The traffickers are more than a third of the time cooperating with the girls own family members, who sell their children to brothels in Mumbai for a small price. Nearly half of all the occurrences of trafficking are by people the girl knows, like a friend or coworker. Nationally there is a thriving sex tourism industry of an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 girls that are trafficked from rural areas of Nepal to Kathmandu each year for exploitation (US Dept of State). To date there has been little attempt by the Government of Nepal to prevent the exploitation of girls in the growing domestic sex industry, even in known sex tourism destinations. For example, although the Nepal Tourism Board agreed to amend the language in its website advertisement for Wild Stag Weekends, it did so only after

widespread international condemnation of the promotion.

This makes Kathmandu ground zero for further exploitation across the 1500 km porous border with India where 78.6% of the girls trafficked from Nepal end up in Mumbai. Here they are virtually imprisoned. Food can be withheld, beatings often occur and forced sex and labor must be performed at the brothel owners command. Womens prostitution is also responsible for the rampant increase in HIV and Hepatitis B, which is brought back to Nepal when women are rescued or escape. It is then spread throughout Nepalese society. In July 2007, the Government of Nepal enacted a comprehensive anti-

trafficking law, the Trafficking in Persons and Transportation Control Act (TPTA). This law prohibits all forms of trafficking in persons and prescribes harsh penalties of 10 to 20 years in prison. However, Nepal is suffering from soft state syndrome and is unable to implement its own laws. A lack of real commitment on the part of the Government of Nepal is evident with the low numbers of convictions of human traffickers and migrant smugglers, contrasting sharply with the high numbers of trafficking survivors or victims. This suggests that efforts thus far have been limited. Local NGOs report that complicit government officials and police often facilitate trafficking through bribes and no significant law enforcement efforts to investigate, prosecute, convict or sufficiently sentence these officials has occurred (US Dept of State). In addition, victims are reluctant to testify for fear of repercussions and the lack of protection.

In an effort to crack down on the promises of false jobs in other countries the Government of Nepal recently enacted the Foreign Employment Act, which criminalizes both agencies and individuals sending workers abroad based on false promises and without proper documentation. Again, these provisions while encouraging and grand on paper, have not been adequately implemented due to lack of resources. The strongest effort to protect potential victims and reintegrate women who have been victims of human trafficking has been the NGO, Maiti Nepal, who provides non-formal education on laws, health, basic reading and writing, as well as providing temporary housing for former victims. The underlying issues of human trafficking can be linked to corruption, extreme poverty and the inability of women to move freely within public or private space

to better their situations. Human trafficking reinforces the vulnerable position of women and in particular young girls in Nepalese society. PATRIARCHY Womens gender inequality in Nepal stems from a traditional socio-cultural that defines the formal and informal rules for womens participation in relation to opportunity, decision-making, access to resources and womens control over them (Human Development Report 2009). A strong patriarchal feeling is ingrained in members of Nepalese society, which undermines structural poverty, discrimination against women in the public and private sectors and various forms of violence against women. Women are expected to conduct domestic chores, planting, collecting fodder and taking care of livestock. Thus they are to remain within their subordinate space in rural and urban areas. Men continue to dominate womens

reproduction, labor access and mobility, leading to women being the poorest among the poor and being relegated to poverty. Dalit women face multiple levels of discrimination within Nepalese society. The Government of Nepals role in gender inequality is significant due to a legal framework that dictates many aspects of the lives of women. A local womens group reported in 2006 they found 118 laws, which directly or indirectly discriminated against women. As women attain higher literacy rates, education levels and mandated power within higher levels of the bureaucracy it is likely patriarchy will be strongly contested by womens newfound power. Although the level of awareness of gender inequality among women regarding their rights has increased, there has yet to be a significant decrease in violence against them. About 80% (The Lancet) of all violence against women, physical and

psychological, is domestic violence, often also perpetrated by a member of her own family. Among the most common causes of domestic violence are dowry-related hostilities, second marriages by husbands, assaults of women accused of being witches and disputes involving property. Thus not even the home can be considered a place of safety and security for women. Gender inequality is also evident in the small number of women who actually own assets and property. A recent report by the Nepal Womens Council revealed that in 68 of the 75 districts in Nepal, only 0.78% of houses were legally owned by women or roughly 3 in 500 houses were in womens names. Only 5.25% of women hold landownership certificates and 5.45% own livestock (The Lancet). THE CASTE SYSTEM Until 2006 Nepal was a Hindu kingdom and had legitimized the Hindu caste system in the state, which codifies

stratification. 80% of Nepals population is now Hindu and the countrys wide spread poverty is drawn most distinctly along caste lines. From 1768 to 1951 there was no other social structure in Nepal than the four Varnas of the Hindu caste system (Lynn Bennet &World Bank 2005). Nepals hierarchy follows Indias order of placing Brahmans at the top with the royal Kshatriya, with the merchant class of Vishya beneath the Brahmans, and then the labor class of Sudra beneath the Vishya The lowest class at the bottom of the entire caste system were the untouchable Dalits. Caste and ethnicity differences resulting from the norms and socially defined practices of the dominant caste groups define the degree of discrimination towards disadvantaged women. Although caste-based discrimination became A survey conducted in 2002 listed a total of 205 existing practices of castebased discrimination (Human Development Report 2009).

illegal in 1963 it continues to define interactions between social groups (Human Development Report 2009). The country has 103 caste and ethnic groups, speaking 92 languages, which remain the major sources of identity (INYF). Womens freedoms vary within the ethnic groups, caste levels and from rural to urban populations. Discrimination has begun to decrease slowly in urban area, but in rural areas, in particular the far western regions and the Tarai, the caste system remains a strong force. 80% of Nepals population lives in rural isolation and 57.5% of its overall population is divided along specific caste strata (Lynn Bennet & World Bank 2005). It was these lower castes and geographically isolated people who suffered the most. The top of the caste system or The Caste Hill Hindu Elite (TCHHE) only make up 30% of Nepals population but demonstrate a dominating influence in almost all aspects of society (Malik 380). To empower the marginalized

groups, including women, the caste system must be challenged to equalize the disparities and inclusion of the marginalized groups into political institutions. These levels of hierarchy serve to further marginalize the already isolated population of Nepal. These grievances amongst caste divisions have led to many conflicts and Nepals current transitional government. WOMEN AND MAOIST Starting in 1995 the Nepal Communist Party officially began a rural campaign aimed at overthrowing the centralized royal government and establishing a peoples republic. The conflict that ensued lasted over a decade with the onset of the Peoples war in 1996 until the interim government in 2006 that dissolved the monarchy. The large losses and deaths, caused by the insurrection have led to tens of thousands of widowed women taking on a more pivotal role in Nepalese life. Womens

newfound responsibility in village life makes them prime targets of coercion and violence from both sides of the conflict The Maoist, from the outset, tried to include women and low caste groups in their movement as a resource. The National Communist Party (Maoists) have placed integration and inclusion of excluded groups at the forefront of their agenda and by so doing have recruited strong support. Beyond the agenda or political pandering the NCP had for this move, the Maoists give political voice and inclusion to previously ostracized groups. Officially the Maoists or NCP have joined the government of Nepal since 2007 and with the interim government drafting a new constitution they are set to establish a

prominent role in the country and thus improve womens position in Nepal. Their success though might have come at too great a cost. After a decade of conflict and the Peoples War the signing of the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement marked the end of the insurgency and the ushering in of the Maoist into mainstream political arena and 2007the Nepal Communist Party entered into the interim government of Nepal (BBC Timeline: Nepal). The Maoist insurgency though has resulted in negative effects such as political turmoil, near 1200 deaths, 100,00 displaced people, and such widespread disappearances to constitute as a phenomena by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (BBC Nepal Profile; Report of Involuntary Disappearances). But the Maoist insurrection has posed the greatest challenge to the established patriarchy and social exclusion. The Maoists have incorporated the untouchable Dalits,

marginalized groups, and women, their success stands as an undeniable challenge to tradition. Their rise might be controversial and misguided, but their successful incorporation in forming the new constitution and future government in Nepal signals a turning of the tides for marginalized groups and women. It is by no means a coincidence that the Maoist insurgency is concentrated in the western, rural, and impoverished region of Nepal, where similarly aggrieved caste groups and women can lend their support. As early as 1990, riots, arrests, deaths, failed peace talks, martial law and demonstrations

fulfill both roles of mother and father of the household, which challenged the established patriarchy. This trend made the vast swaths of Nepalese rural countryside ripe for the Maoist looking for solidify their support base. In the last decade one of the most predominate challenges to the established inequalities of Nepal has been the Maoist insurgency. Geographic isolation and Nepals various ethnicities and caste levels has been recognized by the Maoist and exploited, again exacerbating inequalities. POLITICAL REFORM WITHOUT CULTURAL REFORM Unfortunately progress, despite

have destabilized Nepal. The continual changes in law and political incorporation, is conflict over the last decade has reduced the still in the early stages. Presently the new male population. This was particularly constitution remains to be officially released pivotal at the village level where women had and is due in May 2010. Prior to the 2006 to take on the responsibilities traditionally curtailing of the monarchs power and held by men. To fill the void left by men intervention of the interim government, fleeing government imprisonment or Maoist Nepal had been implementing almost a violence the women of the village had to decade of planned government, which was

inadequate, but did officially make strides toward progress and reform. These provisions proved unsubstantial as their problems persisted, but it was the 8th fiveyear plan that targeted gender equality measures and inclusion. However between 1991 and 2001 there was no change in womens wages which were 37-45% lower than their male counterparts (World Bank; MDG progress Report 2009). Also the a concomitant social movement to empower marginalized groups such as the Dalit and the laws implementation. Without real Adivasi Janajati who were also provided for internal social and cultural change, in the ninth five-year plan did not fare very provisions of government policy prove well either. The DFID reports in 2005 that ineffective at combating discrimination 46% of Dalits lived below the poverty line along caste and gender lines. Amnesty compared to the national average of 31% International asserts that women human overall (World Bank; DFID Annual Report rights activists continue to be at high risk of Nepal). In addition, 17 out of 100 Dalit attack because they dare to challenge children die before reaching 5 years of age, Nepal's patriarchal system. which is over two times as many as the In 2008 thirty five percent of the Nepali national average (DFID Annual members of the Constitutional Assembly Report Nepal). The efforts of the Nepalese were female, but their influence and power government have proven ineffective without in decision-making is rendered Jagaran Nepal, a pro-womens empowerment group with members in the Constitutional Assembly reports on the lack of implementation of already established policies:
We are very much familiar that in Nepal there are some women related provisions and acts, which have somewhat given justice to women in document forms but the implementation of these provisions has never been done. Neither the political parties nor the government have sincerely applied the principle of different provisions passed and endorsed in different time period. (Major Programs: Pro-Women Policy & Governance Program)

inconsequential by the oppressive male majority (Malik 383). Womens participation in government is increasing but their inclusion in the CA has not resulted in progress and is still yet to be evident in the formation of the new government. Regardless of their rising participation in the work force and political spheres womens empowerment still lags far from gender equality. The United Nations, working towards their Millennium Development Goals, tracks progress and needs in all of south Asia including Nepal. They report that in spite of efforts to equalize gender empowerment there remains an uneven distribution favoring men. The 2005 UNDP Needs Assessment report for gender equality and empowerment asserts that the Gender Empowerment Measure for Nepal shows a large gap between genders that is further exacerbated in rural areas of Nepal such as in the plain and mountain regions (UNDP 2005). The Department For

International Development in Britain, which is the second largest bilateral aid supporter to Nepal, shows that despite its efforts huge disparities still exist in Nepal. DFID reports in remotely isolated areas, such as Mugu in the Far North region, only 9% of girls attend school while 45% attendance rate of boys (DFID Annual Report Nepal 2005). They report similar lack of implementation for marginalized groups despite the provisions made in Nepals ninth five-year plan. Unfortunately legislation formed in the centralized government does not affect the majority of Nepalese living in isolated rural areas. The MDG report of 2005 elaborates that despite laws against these practices polygamy still effects 10% of marriages and child marriage continues (MDG Goal 3 Promote Gender Equality). The UN and Mahbub hl Haq Human Development Center may both report that Nepal has shown incremental reform, but with 80% of the country living in rural areas the efforts

made are only slightly felt in most of the country. STATUS OF HEALTHCARE Today the general male female life expectancy in Nepal has almost become equal with only a .09% difference recorded by the World Bank in 2005, while the Mahbub Ul Haq Human Development center records that in 05 womens life expectancy was 102% of a mans (Human Development Centre 145; World Bank 2005). This may not reflect equalization, but rather signify that Nepal is one of the most impoverished nations in all of South East Asia. With such dire circumstances there are no privileges or health resources to deny women. In Nepal, the widest disparities in life expectancies no longer occur along the gender but along cast lines. During the 2005 World Bank Arusha Conference, New Frontiers of Social Policy Lynn Bennet presented her study on gender, caste and ethnic exclusion in Nepal. She reports that inequalities are drawn relatively more distinctly along ethnic and caste lines (World Bank 2005). She reports the ruling Brahman capitalist class and city-dwelling Newars have both the lower mortality rate for under five years of age as well as higher life expectancy (World Bank 2005). The World Bank, the Department of International Development, and the Human Development center all concur that ground level situations in Nepal have not shown improvement. Access to vital resources is one of Nepals greatest issues with 80% of its

inhabitants in remote locations across formidable terrain. Nepal spends a higher percentage of GDP on health services than India, but lacks the infrastructure for effective implementation (Human Development Centre 145). Only 32% of the rural population has access to road networks (Nepal Highway Data). Partially due to a lack of infrastructure and accessibility, Nepal from 1990 to 2006 has had the lowest rate of births attended by trained health personnel from 7% in 1990 through 1996 and 19% from 2000 through 2006 and thus they have the highest crude birth rate, 29 per 1,000 births, in all of South Asia (Human Development Centre 150). Nepal has consistently exhibited one of the highest Maternal Mortality ratios in

highest of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives, and near twice the average of South Asia and Developing countries (Human Development Centre). The 2005 DFID assessment reports that 12 women die in pregnancy or childbirth every day and that, one in eleven children die before they are 5 years old (DFID Annual Report Nepal). Marginally second only to Bhutan, Nepal has the highest human poverty index measurement in South Asia (Human Development Centre 144). Health issues are widespread and the lack of infrastructure impedes accessibility to the highly decentralized population. RECOMMENDATIONS

EXPANSION OF DFIDS RURAL ACCESS PROGRAM In third world nations people have

South East Asia. Although improving from traditionally centralized along rivers or 1,500 deaths per 100,000 in 1990 (second water sources as a vital resource for trade, only to Bhutan) to 830 per 100,000 births in drinking water, and livelihood. Of Nepals 2005, the maternal mortality rate is still the 75 districts half are remote locations at least

3 hours from the nearest road. These facets are untouched by reform efforts and are the places that still practice child marriage, patriarchy, polygamy, and are host to a wide variety of gender and caste disparities. A system of highways with tributary roads would act as streams of trade and vital resources. The development of a greater network of roads would help distribution of vital services raising the number of births attended by health personnel, raise education services, access to sanitation, drinking water and disperse the centralized governments influence. A network of highways and rural roads would allow the centralized government in Kathmandu to distribute their influence more effectively and reach those communities in remote regions that still lag far behind. The Department For International Development in the United has received international acclaim for their Rural Access Programme(RAP). RAP works two fold to

increase both accessibility and livelihoods. It is a bottom up program utilizing local men and women no more than 2 hours from the job site. The program works to give employment opportunities to local communities especially those marginalized groups such as the indigenous Janajati and Dalit ethnic groups. By utilizing labor instead of machinery the RAP in 2005 has employed over 35,000 impoverished citizens, including women, which is assured by guidelines mandating that at least 33% of the labor force must be women, and providing near 2.5 million labor days (Rural Access Programme, Nepal Wins Award). The DFID has had great success with this program and has made substantial progress from 05 to 10. On 11 January 2010 the RAP was awarded in Washington for its efforts. RAP had already built 633 km of roads with an additional planned 365km coming. They have provided 13.4 million labor days, an income of 200 Nepal

Rupees per day, and employed almost 47,000 workers of the most impoverished circumstances, over 40% of which were women(Nepals Rural Roads Go Global). They RAP also promotes sound financial advice and investment, which has risen the economic safety net of these communities. What is essential at the very base of helping Nepal is building roads and infrastructure because without a means to distribute reformation programs progress will not be made. The RAP is helping women and marginalized peoples and combating tradition, inequality, inequity, rural isolation, decentralization, poverty, accessibility, and

their debts, child vaccination improved from 59% to 93%, access to education increased from 75% to 92%, marginalized groups including women were incorporated, and over 1 million people were connected national roads (Rural Access Programme, Nepal Wins Award). This program works to improve circumstances for women and marginalized ethnic or caste groups. It is effective at empowering women, Dalits, and the indigenous Janajati by giving them employment, economic self-reliance and independence. REVISE TEXT BOOKS TO REFLECT REFORM Once infrastructure in rural areas has

must be expanded to encompass more risen to sustain a practical level of communities in Nepal. accessibility, the education system that will Despite its effectiveness the DFIDs be distributed must have curriculum and Rural Access Program only reaches 7 out of books that reflect reform. In Both India and Nepals 75 districts (Rural Access Pakistan books have been utilized as a tool Programme, Nepal Wins Award). It has for great power and abuse. In Pakistan there proven to be effective. In RAP locations have been instances where Madrassas 58% of its participants were enabled to clear radicalize their students over conflicts with

India by using nationalistic and Islamic rhetoric to indoctrinate their pupils. Reciprocally it has been reported that in India history books were rewritten to omit certain events concerning Pakistan, obfuscating any morally reprehensible acts. Books that the new generation will read and study set a new foundation for the future. By rewriting textbooks to reflect reformations to the established traditions of patriarchy, hierarchy, caste system, inequalities, inequities, abuse, and oppression, one can create a social reform that will implement the laws already passed and ones to come. The education system is where children are socialized and learn how to play a productive role in a society. They learn the norms, values, roles, and statuses of a particular society. Education has been and will always be a fundamental issue to any nation. Laws and legislation only set a precedent, true reform and implementation requires social change. In the United States

Jim Crow laws, segregation, and prejudicial practices persisted long after they were legally abolished. It was not until the Civil Rights movement in the sixties, when a social reform movement was truly able to abolish these old traditions. Nepal now faces a similar challenge. They have provided laws and amendments to fight discrimination and prejudice, but society and cultural norms have not changed. The laws only can serve as a legal foundation, the true reform must take place in the hearts and minds of the people. Older generations are too well established in discrimination, tradition, and caste hierarchies, but new generations are still being informed of their world. By rewriting text books in schools that reflect new values and reforms Nepal will have made a beginning for a cultural change that will empower the existing laws and counteract patriarchy, hierarchy, tradition, and prejudice. This will set Nepal on a course to truly developing equality.

COMBATTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING Initiatives to further address human

Once girls are actively being trafficked and forced into prostitution, the crime is actively occurring. This is when

trafficking and exploitation should be met girls are in the most danger and thus the from various stages of the crime. locations of brothels must be sought out. First, anti-trafficking interventions at Immediate intervention is crucial at this the community level before the actual point to prevent the crime from continuing. movement of human trafficking has a Implementing current laws to punish the chance to begin. A massive public education perpetrators is the only way to prevent them and awareness campaign needs to be from finding more girls to traffic in the conducted in rural areas to educate people future. They must be punished with lengthy on how to prevent themselves from prison sentences in all cases, regardless of becoming a victim. caste, ethnicity or position in the Second, urban centers are the source government. and transitory centers for trafficking Finally, reintegrating girls who have activities and efforts should be increased, by escaped or been rescued from brothels, back creating an independent police taskforce into the community should be a priority. particularly in Kathmandu. The taskforce Womens centers should be established to should be small, but made up of responsible provide free counseling, as well as training and trusted officers who are closely so they can become a productive member of monitored by an independent international society again. These women are very agency against corruption. Enlisting the help vulnerable and will need time to adjust. of an NGO or a regional force should be Ideally, some women who complete a considered.

rehabilitation program would become advocates to speak with women throughout

their own communities about the negative their own communities about the negative impacts of human trafficking.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Rural Access Programme (RAP), Nepal wins Award. dfid.gov.uk. Department For International Development. 1 Feb 2010. 3 May 7, 2010. < http://www.dfid.gov.uk/MediaRoom/News-Stories/2010/Rural-Access-Programme-RAP-Nepal-wins-Award/> DFID Nepal Annual Report 2005.dfid.gov.uk. Department For International Development. 2005. 25 April 2010. <http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/nepalannual-report-2005.pdf> Nepal Highway Data. Worldbank.org. World Bank. 2010. 30 Apr 2010. <http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/EX TSARREGTOPTRANSPORT/0,,contentMDK:20694202~pagePK:34004173~piPK:3400 3707~theSitePK:579598,00.html> MDG Needs Assessment Nepal: Chapter 6 Promotion of Gender Equality and Womens Empowerment. undp.org. United Nations Development Programme 2006. 1 May 2010. < http://www.undp.org.np:80/publication/html/mdg_NAN/index.php> MDG Needs Assessment Nepal: Chapter 7 Improving the Health Status. undp.org. United Nations Development Programme. 2006. 1 May 2010. <http://www.undp.org.np:80/publication/html/mdg_NAN/index.php> MDG Needs Assessment Nepal: Chapter 9 Developing Rural Transport and Infrastructure. undp.org.United Nations Development Programe. 2006. 1 May 9, 2010. <http://www.undp.org.np:80/publication/html/mdg_NAN/index.php> Nepal Maoist Leader: Women Driving Movement; Doaly Xaykaothao. NPR.org. National Public Radio. 5 May 2006. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5387419> The World Fact book: Nepal. cia.gov. Central Intelligence Agency. 21 Apr. 2010. April 29, 2010. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/np.html#> Time line: Nepal. bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 10 Jan. 2010. 29 Apr. 2010. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/country_profiles/1166516.stm> Nepal country profile. bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 20 Jan. 2010. 29 Apr. 2010. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/country_profiles/1166502.stm> Major Programs: Pro-Women Policy & Governance Program. jagarannepal.org. Jagaran Nepal 30 Apr. 2010. 30 Apr 2010.<http://www.jagarannepal.org/page.php?id=10> Nepals Government Fails to Protect Women Human Rights. secure.amnesty.org. Amnesty

International. 10 Apr. 2010. 29 Apr. 2010 <http://www-secure.amnesty.org/en/news-andupdates/news/nepal-government-fails-protect-women-human-rights-activists-20090410> Nepal Highway Data. web.worldbank.org. World Bank 2010. 26 Apr 2010. <http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/EX TSARREGTOPTRANSPORT/0,,contentMDK:20694202~pagePK:34004173~piPK:3400 3707~theSitePK:579598,00.html> Goal 3 Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women. undp.org. United Nations Development Program Nepal. Sep 2005. 25 Apr 2010. <http://www.undp.org.np:80/publication/html/mdg2005/mdg_npl.pdf> Background note: Nepal. state.gov. US Department of State. 10 Apr. 2010. 29 Apr. 2010. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5283.htm#> Nepals Rural Roads go Global: DFID-funded programme wins 2009 Global Road Achievement Award. dfid.gov.uk. Department for International Development. 11 Jan 2010. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/News-Stories/2010/Nepalsrural-roads-go-global/> Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances- Mission to Nepal. ohchr.org. United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Apr 2005. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/NPIndex.aspx> Asian Development Bank and Nepal: Fact Sheet 2009. adb.org. Asian Development Bank. Mar 2009. 28 Apr 2010. < http://www.adb.org/nepal/default.asp> Case Study: Fighting Trafficking Across Borders. www.usaid.gov. US Agency for International Development, Apr 2008. Web. 14 Apr 2010. Nepal Womens Rights Law Hailed. BBC News, 31 May 2006. Web. 8 May 2010. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5032716.stm> Poverty Reduction. International Nepalese Youth Forum. 2008. Web. 25 Apr 2010. <http://www.youthforumnepal.org/vision/poverty.php> Trafficking in Person Report 2009. US Department of State: Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, 2009. Web. 1 May 2010. <http:www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/123137.htm> South Asia: Six Countries Meet to Increase International Cooperation Against Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants. www.unodc.org. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2010. Web. 8 May 2010. <http://www.unodc.org/southasia/en/frontpage/2010/March/internationalcooperation.htm l>

United Nations. Nepal Human Development Report. 2009. Web. 19 Apr 2010. <http//www.undp.org.np/publication/html/nhdr2009/> United Nations. Millennium Development Goals. 2009. Web. 19 Apr 2010. <http://www.undp.org.np:80/publication/html/nhdr2009/> United Nations. UIS Statistics in Brief. 2007. Web. 19 Apr 2010. <http://status.uis.unesco.org/unesco/tableviewr/document.aspx?ReportID=121&IF_langu age=eng&BR_Country=5240> Andrea, Matles Savada, ed. Nepal: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1991. Web. 19 Apr 2010. <http://countrystudies.us/nepal/> Aryal, Mallika. Politics-Nepal: Patriarchy Still a Bar to Gender Equality. Inter Press Service 2009. Lexus Nexis. Web. 14 Apr 2010. <http://allbusiness.com/government/electionspolitics-campaigns/12607683-1.html> Bennet, Lynn Gender, Caste, and Ethnic Exclusion in Nepal: Following the Policy Process From Analysis To Action. Arusha Conference 2005 World Bank. 12 Dec. 2005. Dhakal, Sanjaya. Global Sisterhood Network. World Report: Nepalese Women Under the Shadow of Domestic Violence. 2008. Web. 7 Apr 2010. <www.global-sisterhoodnetwork.org/content/view/2049/76/> Gunnel, Barbara. Nothing to Sell But Their Bodies. New Statesman. 1 Mar 2004: 32-33. Web. 25 Apr 2010. Simkhada. Padam. Life Histories and Survival Strategies Amongst Sexually Trafficked Girls in Nepal. Children & Society, 2008 Vol 22: 235-248. Print. Thapalia, Shanta. Cross Border Conference. Captive Daughters. Nepal, 2005. Speech. Tripathi, Dinesh. Cross Border Conference. Captive Daughters. Nepal, 2005. Speech.

You might also like