A victorious moment for all Nepali women around the world indeed! But that didn’t put an end to an ancient tradition of suppressing women’s freedom. In fact, the journey is a long way to go.

Nepali Women Inequality Statistics:

• The Nepali adult female literacy rate stands at just 49 percent, whereas Nepali men boast of a literacy rate of 72 percent
• Around 28 percent of Nepali women are reportedly victims to sexual and gender-based violence
• Close to 60 percent of all abortions that were done were mostly hidden leading to an increasing women’s mortality and illness
• The maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Nepali women is 258 per 100,000 live births
• The 2016 Global Gender Inequality Index (GII) United Nations Development Program (UNDP) list put Nepal at 144 amongst the 188 reported countries
• The lowest estimated Global Gender Inequality Index (GII) values in Nepal- region wise:
  • Province 1 – Okhaldhunga
  • Province 2 – Rautahat
  • Province 3 – Sindhuli
  • Province 4 – Baglung
  • Province 5 – Rolpa
  • Province 6 – Kalikot
  • Province 7 – Bajura

• Between 2007-08, there were only 67,435 women who applied to the Public Service Commission roles

Yes! Nepal definitely has a long way to go in bringing empowering its women. But some recent events from the year 2017 have reinstated our faith in humanity and justice.

• Nepal 2017 elections saw a record-breaking number of women participating in and winning some prestigious positions right from the local levels
• Over 14,000 Nepali women took up office, women from every corner of the society were motivated to take recognized roles as small entrepreneurs, farmers and teachers, among many others
• 2017 saw the birth of a new legislation and policies which were developed in the benefit of women. They were created to eliminate anti-women practices like chhaupadi, sexual harassment and other forms of violence

Social Stigmas and Inequality against Nepali Women:
Nepal is a developing nation, but there are many traditional practices and other societal thought-processes that influence the ideologies and mindsets of the citizens of this nation; restricting their women from exercising their rights.

Some of which include:

• Gender Inequality
• Child Marriages
• Lack of Education/Illiteracy
• Domestic Violence
• Human Trafficking
• Acid Attack
• Maternal Mortality

What measures need to be taken?

“Awareness and advocacy are very important. If women are intellectual and have access to education and economic opportunities, empowerment is possible,” says Valerie Julliand, UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal.

The United Nations has been working closely with the N Nepali adult fe epal government, lawmakers, judiciary & executives with national and international civil societies in law, policies and capacity building to do the following:

• Raise awareness on gender-based discrimination and structural barriers hindering women leadership roles
• Bring about policy changes that are sensitive to the needs of women
• Promote increased participation and representation of rural women farmers in local-level decision-making process

So, how have Nepal’s ‘S’heroes contributed to Women Equality?

Nepal Against Child Marriages
Change needs to be brought about at the grass-root level and no one understands this better than Sangita BK. She currently leads the Pariwartan Girls’ circle and is teaching 28 girls to fight for their rights.

Sangita convinced her parents out of her own marriage at an early age and now she’s convincing the government against child marriages in Nepal.

With skills and training from UNFPA, she now shares her knowledge with girls who have the same story as hers and who can still be saved from the curse of child marriage.

Sangita now has a community that supports her cause against child marriages and chhaupadi, a practice that keeps menstruating women away from their homes.

Nepal Against Human Trafficking
Aama is Nepal’s most loved mother and why not? Anuradha Koirala is a mother to every survivor of human trafficking because she leaves no stone unturned in saving them from the menace.

With an ever-vigilant team, she has been rescuing young women since 1993. Not only does she rescue them but supports them mentally and emotionally. She helps them make a living for themselves.

Maiti Nepal, Aama’s foundation conducts regular activities including awareness campaigns and women empowerment programs and provides legal support to the needy.

Nepal for Women Empowerment
Bridging the gap between urban and rural population in Nepal, GET Nepal empowers young girls through travel.

While travelling is not an option that the rural community would consider, Sajana’s team works to bring these girls out of their societal stigmas and learn & understand the world through different cultures, lifestyles and exchanging skills/knowledge.

And then we cannot overlook Aama Surakhsya’s contribution in ensuring safe childbirths by drastically reducing maternal mortality and infant mortality in Nepal.

Other than providing timely transport to ensure safe childbirths, the community is working in challenging the existing health practices in Nepal.

Thanks to the program, more than two million Nepali women have access to medical services in the hilly terrain of Nepal.

Nepal Government for Motherhood Rights
Government policies and initiatives are also changing the face of Nepal’s erstwhile women-unfriendly environment.

The recent bill on single-motherhood sent some waves across the country and provided the much-needed relief for single mothers in Nepal.

The new bill titled Right to Safe Motherhood not only enables single mothers to pass on their identity to their child but also incorporates some stringent laws concerning the medical health of mothers.

The History of Women’s Equality Day
August 26, 2018 marked Women Equality Day, which was first celebrated in the US in 1920. The day commemorates the adoption of the 19^th amendment to the UN Constitution, which granted American women the constitutional ‘right to vote’.

President Richard Nixon issued Proclamation-4236 for Women’s Equality Day, which reads:

“The struggle for women’s suffrage, however, was only the first step toward full and equal participation of women in our Nation’s life. In recent years, we have made other giant strides by attacking sex discrimination through our laws and by paving new avenues to equal economic opportunity for women. Today, in virtually every sector of our society, women are making important contributions to the quality of American life. And yet, much still remains to be done”.

Coming back to Nepal, the journey for Women’s rights has been as old as the People’s War, which petitioned against economic stagnation, high unemployment, poor education among many other factors prevailing during the monarchic rule.

The 40-point set of demands penned down by Maoist Communist Party included a specific demand for women calling for equality through ‘stopping of patriarchal exploitation and discrimination against women’.

The CPN-M later formed the All Nepal Women’s Association which organized grassroot campaigns against caste and gender discrimination throughout the war.

The movement encouraged women to become action-oriented and insurgency participants. A lot of women believed that a struggle for democratic rights should be a struggle for women rights.

The belief would help them bring about legal equality, political participation and socio-economic empowerment. Throughout the People’s War, women were political activists and guerrilla soldiers, contributing to 40 percent of the military group.

Conclusion:
While the rest is history, we hope for a brighter tomorrow in Nepal’s economy where women are equally empowered as men and utilize their rights as Nepali citizens to their full potential.

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Today 13^th May 2018 people world over are celebrating Mother’s Day, the day that has everyone honoring their mothers who share a major part of our lives.

History

The commemoration of the American Mother’s Day started with Anna Jarvis in 1908 and was declared an official holiday in the U.S by 1914.

After the death of her mother, Ann decided to dedicate a day that would honor the sacrifices of a mother in the process of raising her children. With the financial aid and support of John Wanamaker, a Philadelphia department store owner she organized the first Mother’s Day celebration in 1908 at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia.

With her constant and tireless efforts in establishing this special day, the celebration was made official in 1914 after President Woodrow Wilson signed a declaration. After which the second Sunday of May is celebrated as Mother’s Day.

The United Kingdom in Europe has a different tale to tell. A major tradition at one point in UK and other parts of Europe, this day was celebrated on the 4^th Sunday of Lent. It was a day that saw the faithful return to their “Mother Church” considered as the main church.

After a point in time, the ‘Mothering Sunday transitioned into a more secure holiday. This special day had children gift their mothers, flowers and other things as a token of love and gratitude.

The relevance of this day can be traced back to the ancient Greek and Roman cultures. The people held festivals in honor of Mother Goddesses, Rhea and Cybele.

Mothers That Make a Difference – Nepal Inspirational Mothers

While we cannot compare or measure a mother’s contribution to her family, we can always celebrate her achievements.
Nepal has some inspirational mothers who have not only successfully fulfilled their motherly responsibilities but have set an example to their children by being successful at pursuing their passions.

Lhakpa Sherpa
Juggling between the duties of being a mother to two children and working as a dishwasher at Whole Foods, Connecticut, Lhakpa Sherpa’s extraordinary story is a tale worth telling.

The 44-year old is a native of Nepal and holds a world record for climbing the summits of Everest ever done by a woman. Recognized by the Guinness book of world records and famous among mountaineering groups, Lhakpa Sherpa has climbed Mount Everest 8 times and plans to climb it again for the 9^th time.

She single-handedly raises her children Sunny (16) and Shiny (11). She gets up at 6 AM to leave them to school by walk. Then walks for 2 miles to her job where she washes dishes and takes out garbage.

Being a part of the Sherpa ethnic community, Lhakpa never got to fulfill her dreams of going to school or becoming a doctor or an airplane pilot. But she wants her children to get the best education and live a life of comfort in the United States.

Anuradha Koirala
Founder and director of Maiti Nepal, a non-profit organization, Anuradha Koirala is one of the most renowned Nepali women. The name reckons with a motherly person who helps victims of sex trafficking.

Earlier a teacher by profession, Koirala faced the brunt of an abusive husband and left home with her son, Manish Koirala.

During her visits to the Pashupatinath temple for peace of mind, the sight of numerous women with begging bowls moved her. With compassion in her heart she went up to them and asked them if they’d want to work. Once they were ready, she gave each of the women Rs. 1,000/- and asked them to start a Naglo Paslo (Small Street Shop). She then took their children to her own home and that’s how Maiti Nepal was formed.

Maiti means ‘Mother’s home’ and right enough, Anuradha is a mother to all those women and girls who are rescued by Maiti Nepal from sex trafficking. Together with her group of activists, she has rescued more than 12,000 women and girls

Koirala initiatives were rewarded with the Courage of Conscience Award and CNN Hero of the Year Award.

Bidhya Devi Bhandari
Married to Late. Madan Bhandari, a popular Nepalese communist leader, Bidhya Devi Bhandari is a recognized political figure in Nepal. Currently, the second President of Nepal and Commander-in-Chief of the Nepalese Army, communist politician, Bidhya is the first woman to hold office.

Some of her Achievements:
With more than 30 years of experience in politics, she has served as Vice-Chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), Chair of the All Nepal Women Association, Minister of Defence, 2009-2011 of the government of Nepal and Minister for Environment and Population in 1990s. She has led the All Nepal Women Association for the last 20 years and is currently working towards organizing the forthcoming Girl summit which is working on abolishing child marriage in Nepal by 2030.

With many titles and achievements to her credit, Bhandari was placed 52 in Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ in 2016.

Her political vigor has made her an inspiration not only to her daughters, Usha Kiran Bhandari and Nisha Kusum Bhandari but to many aspiring women and mothers in Nepal and worldwide.

Maya Thakuri
A prominent writer and face of Nepali women writers in Nepal, Maya Thakuri is a woman of strength and bravery. Despite a haunting childhood and the constant struggles of life, Maya grew up to become the beautiful poetess and writer we know today.

Her journey of writing began with the publishing of her first shot story ‘Bahulahi’ in the Asha magazine in 1963-64. When she arrived in Kathmandu in 1970s, the literary scene had begun to see a high with the works of Parijat. Maya was already a famous name in fiction writing when she joined the Tribhuvan University.

Her famous writings include, Najureko Jodi, Gamalako Phool, Saanghu Tarepachhi, Chautaro Sakshi Chha, Maya Thakurika Kathaharu and Aama! Januhos.

Maya’s contribution to Nepali literature is priceless and so is her contribution to womanhood and motherhood.

Pasang Lhamu Sherpa
Despite, her demise the name Pasang Lhamu Sherpa will stay etched in the history of Nepal forever. A buoyant mountaineer, Pasang was born into a mountaineering family and was enthusiastic about climbing right from her teens.

Before climbing Everest, she had successfully climbed Mont Blanc, Cho Oyu, Mount Yalapic, Pisang Himal and many others.

The morning of April 22, 1993 saw Pasang create history after she reached the top of the 8,848-peak (Mount Everest) with 5 others.

Although she did not survive to tell the tale of her achievement, she has been bestowed with many recognitions. She was the first Nepali woman to be honored with the “Nepal Tara (Star)” by His Majesty, the King. She was also honored by the National Youth Foundation with the Youth Excellence Award (!993-1994). A life-size statue of Pasang was placed at Bouddha, Chuchepathi in her remembrance. These and many other recognitions were conferred on the brave heart of Nepal. She is an example to all the young mothers of Nepal.

An Ode to a Mother So Beautiful

Happy Mother’s Day!
Other than these great women, there are many mothers who go on to create a legacy of their own. Nepali Sansar salutes all the Mothers of Nepal and wishes them a hearty ‘Happy Mother’s Day!’.

The post A Big Salute to All the Mothers – ‘Happy Mother’s Day’! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Apart from interesting aspects like the formation of unexpected political alliances, women and couples’ participation were found to be the other highlights of the Nepali Legislative Elections 2017 drawing huge public attention.

Women in Campaigning

With most of the men staying abroad for work, Dolakha of Province 3 is witnessing a remarkable participation of women in campaigning for the upcoming Nepal general elections.

According to the local leaders, this trend is because of the absence of men in the district.

According to UML’s Parbat Gurung and Nepali Congress (NC)’s Rudra Bahadur Khadka, local First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) candidates contesting for the Federal Parliament, a huge presence of women was being seen in the election activities.

Pashupati Chaulagain, CPN-UML’s FPTP candidate from Dolakha-1 (B), made a Facebook post of his poll campaigning pictures involving women campaigners.

 “We see huge presence of women in these election programmes as there are only a few men and youths left in the villages,” says Kamala Basnet, Deputy Mayor of Bhimeshwar Municipality.

Kalika Pathak, Vice Chairperson of Kalinchok Rural Municipality, says, “In Magapauwa village, the number of women attending an election-related discussion programme was 60, while only 35 males were present.”

However, the women participation was found to be confined to preparing garlands for the leaders and welcoming the guests, and were hardly invited on to the dais for speeches.

Women account for half of the 2.08 million population of Dolakha and the number of women voters are more than men, at 74,016 out of the total 147,878 registered voters of the district.

Women Contestants

The Dang District of Province 5 alone is witnessing eight women candidates in race for the upcoming federal and provincial elections that are scheduled to be held in the district under second phase on December 5, 2017.

According to the Office of Chief Returning Officer, Dang, four women candidates are contesting for three House of Representative seats and a similar number of women are vying for six provincial assembly seats.

Sushila Chaudhary for Nepali Congress, Rekha KC for CPN-UML alliance, KC for the left alliance of UML-CPN alliance are among the eight women candidates.

18 Couples in The Election Fray

Around 18 couples are contesting in Nepal’s general and provincial elections 2017.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba (from Dadeldhura) and his wife Arzoo Deuba Rana (from Kailali-5 constituency) are among the prominent leaders contesting in the FTFP category.

While the former Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar is contesting in the PR category, her husband CPN-MC leader Barsha Man Pun is in race under FPTP from the Rolpa constituency.

Nepali Congress leader Bal Krishna Khand and his wife Manju Khand, UML Vice-Chairman Bam Dev Gautam and his wife Tulasha Thapa, and CPN-MC leader Dev Gurung and his wife Yashoda Subedi are among other prominent couples representing different political parties in the upcoming elections.

Women in Election Counting

Meanwhile, the Election Commission officials are also calling for high women participation in the election counting process.

In this regard, the Chief Election Officer of Chitwan, Kul Prasad Sharma has urged the concerned authorities to recruit women for vote counting in the upcoming elections.

Sharma made this statement at a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Social Cohesion and Democratic Participation Programme organized in Bharatpur, recently.

Sharma added that women folks are most suitable for this task because of their modesty and peaceful nature.

Nepali CNN Hero Anuradha Koirala

Globally-renowned Nepali social activist Anuradha Koirala Joins Race on behalf of Nepali Congress

CNN Hero and the Founder of reputed organization called Maiti Nepal, Anuradha Koirala has entered the election race on behalf of the Nepali Congress (NC).

“That’s why, at a time when constitution implementation has become challenging, I appeal on everyone to vote for NC and end the political stalemate that has gripped the nation for six decades. Everyone should now know that only a NC-led government will ensure the rights of all people,” says Koirala.

Koirala has drawn wide recognition, globally, for her continuous fight against girl trafficking over the past three decades and CNN has also conferred her with the Hero of the Year’ title in 2010.

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