Evidence-based measures necessary to end VAW

Jhapa: Stakeholders active in the field of women’s rights have emphasized the need to implement violence mitigation programs based on facts and figures in the areas and ethnic groups most affected by violence against women.

Speakers of the programme ‘Study Report on Violence Against Women and Girls based on Caste and Gender’ organized by the Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO) here today said that initiatives should be taken based on facts rather than assumptions.

‘The incident of violence has been report all together. We should take measures to reduce violence based on the facts about which communities and regions are more subjected to VAW,’ was the common opinion of the speakers.

On the occasion, Chairperson of the National Women’s Commission, Kamala Parajuli, said that the government and all other agencies should take the matter seriously as the victims of many incidents of violence have not been able to access justice. She was of the view that violence, power and structures are the product of patriarchal thinking so every person should be made aware of it.

Likewise, the Chair of the National Dalit Commission, Devraj Vishwakarma, called for attention towards reducing violence being carried out based on caste and gender, which has become a matter of serious review.

Senior advocate Mira Dhungana emphasized that all agencies should fulfil their responsibilities according to the facts and conclusions about violence shown by the studies conducted by different stakeholder agencies.

Durga Sob, the founder of FEDO, said there is a problem in reducing violence against women and girls because the facts are on one side and the response to solve the problem is on the other side. She called for the attention of the concerned agencies for measures to address the problem by seeking disaggregated data.

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Meena Poudel, expressed her commitment that her ministry would include the findings of the study in its policy and programmes and carry out the necessary initiatives for addressing them.

FEDO President Kala Swarnakar, General Secretary Renu Sijapati and others also spoke at the program. The study has analyzed the records of violence against women and girls in the last three months of the financial year 2080/81 and the current financial year.

For this, the records (document review) of three constitutional bodies namely the National Human Rights Commission, National Women’s Commission National Dalit Commission, Nepal Police and six organizations active in the field of women’s rights have been analysed.

Likewise, 459 topics published in 10 media outlets including Gorkhapatra Daily, Kantipur Daily and Onlinekhabar.com were analyzed to represent all provinces including Kathmandu.

Journalist Tikaram Sunar conducted a study on violence against women and girls based on caste and gender.

RSS