Nepal

Women in Nepal

For centuries, in Nepal there has been high levels of inequality based on caste, gender, geography and ethnicity. But inequality has been fuelled during 10 years of civil war that left 30,000 people dead and communities broken.

In April 2006, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, paving the way for democracy. Nevertheless, Nepal remains in a fragile, post-conflict situation.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world with a GDP per capita in 2008 of US$465.
Nepal is one of the few countries in the world where women have a lower life expectancy than men, a direct reflection of the low status of women.
Woman from low castes are doubly disadvantaged; caste and gender together account for a third of the variation in empowerment and inclusion levels .

Womankind in Nepal

The signing of the CPA has opened up opportunities for our partner organisations to work toward a more inclusive society where women are heard and respected.

Womankind aims to advance women’s rights by increasing women’s participation at the national and local level while working towards a fair and equal society where women are not discriminated because of gender or social status.

Despite the fact that Nepal has signed up to 16 international human rights instruments and 197 women were elected to sit in the Constituent Assembly in 2008, the existence of very entrenched cultural norms and a hierarchical society still cause discrimination against women.

Womankind has identified active and effective women’s rights partner organisations that share our values to work with. Find out more about the work we are doing in Nepal.

Our Achievements in Nepal

Supported a country-wide, ever expanding, single women (widows) group network with over 45,000 members.
Our partners have succeeded in changing some discriminatory laws against single women in Nepal.
17 Dalit women groups were formed at the village development committee (VDC) level and at the municipal level. A total of 153 women are directly involved in these groups.
125 Dalit women participated in a rally organised by FEDO on International Peace Day (21st September 2010) in Bajhang district.
4 support centres are established and are providing counselling to women survivors of caste discrimination and sexual abuse.

Women’s voices

Womankind goes the extra mile to support our partners in Nepal

Our Chair Julie sees Womankind's unique support to partners in action in Nepal as we strengthen three women's organisations though training and capacity-building.

“If you are advocating for issues about women you need to firstly to understand the difference between gender and feminism”

Babita Basnet, Director of Communication for Equality in Nepal, tells us what she thinks of Womankind's women's rights advocacy toolkit and how she plans to use it in the future.

Nepal: “Colour is a birth right of all women”

In Nepali culture women who are widowed must follow a strict set of rules, such as wearing dull colours or white for the rest of their lives, and are excluded from social gatherings.

Nepal: Should a women’s organisation fund projects for men?

Our Chair Julie writes about an interesting discussion with Saathi, one of our partners in Nepal, about whether a women’s organisation should fund projects for men.

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