While the Nepali Government is staggering to implement various strategies to prevent coronavirus spread, some unethical groups are involved in acts of violence against Dalits.<\/p>\n
The two recent incidences on May 23, 2020, escalated the Nepali Government’s failure to prevent caste-based discrimination and untouchability.<\/p>\n
Many media reports claimed that both incidences involved allegations against elected local government authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cNepal has laws against caste-based crimes, but they are rarely applied, and often the police refuse to even register cases if the victim is a Dalit,\u201d said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at Human Rights Watch.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe alleged role of local politicians in these cases can lead to obstruction of justice, which means that an independent investigation is essential,\u201d added Ganguly.<\/p>\n
The COVID-19 pandemic has made Dalits even more vulnerable, and there have been reports of sexual assaults, denial of funeral rites and discrimination at quarantine sites.<\/p>\n
In response, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) expressed its dismay over increasing acts of violence resulting from caste-based discrimination even 14 years after the country was declared untouchability free.<\/p>\n
The then Nepali Parliament declared Nepal as an \u2018Untouchability Free Nation<\/strong>\u2019 on June 4, 2006.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Issuing a statement on the 14th anniversary of the historic declaration, the NHRC urged all the sections of the society to raise the voice against caste-based discrimination and violence.<\/p>\n
“The commission draws the attention of the government to embrace zero-tolerance against recent acts of caste-based discriminations in Rukum (West), Jajarkot, Rupandehi, Udayapur, and Dhankuta and bring the culprits to book,” read the statement.<\/p>\n
According to the statement, the laws in Nepal against any form of discrimination are:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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- Caste Based Discrimination and Untouchability (Offence and Punishment) Act -2068 BS<\/li>\n
- Criminal Code 2074 BS<\/li>\n
- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination-1965<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The NHRC urged the Nepali Government to put the existing robust legal protections in practice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While the Nepali Government is staggering to implement various strategies to prevent coronavirus spread, some unethical…<\/span><\/p>\n