• UN
    • UN Principles & Guidelines
    • Sub-Commission study
    • Work and descent
    • Human Rights Council
    • UN parallel events
    • Universal Periodic Review
    • Special procedures
    • UN Treaty Bodies
      • India
      • Nepal
      • Pakistan
      • Bangladesh
      • Japan
      • Yemen
      • Mauritania
      • Nigeria
      • United Kingdom
    • UN documentation
  • EU

CEDAW Concluding Observations - Nepal 2011

Read the full text of the Concluding Observations

Temporary special measures

16. The Committee encourages the State party to:

(a) Adopt temporary special measures to accelerate the advancement of women in areas in which women, in particular women facing multiple forms of discrimination, are underrepresented or disadvantaged, including in political representation, the administration and the judiciary, and access to health, education, employment, housing and land ownership; and

(b) Include in its legislation specific provisions on the adoption of temporary special measures that encourage their use in both the public and private sectors.

Violence against women

20. The Committee urges the State party to give priority attention to combating violence against women and girls and to adopt comprehensive measures to address such violence, in accordance with its general recommendation No. 19. To this end, the Committee recommends that the State party:

[…]

(d) Continue to provide the police, public prosecutors, the judiciary and other relevant Government bodies, as well as healthcare providers, with the necessary training on domestic and sexual violence and undertake wider awareness-raising programs in all communities, including Dalit community, specifically targeting men and boys; and

(f) Adopt and enact without delay the draft law under preparation which significantly increases the punishment for marital rape, as mentioned during the dialogue, and undertake an awareness-raising campaign on the new provisions in this regard.

Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution

21. The Committee welcomes the adoption of the National Plan of Action against trafficking in children and women for sexual and labour exploitation. However, the Committee is concerned about the lack of specific data on trafficking of women and girls, the lack of effective implementation of the Human Trafficking and Transportation Act 2007, the persistence of sexual exploitation, in particular among the Dalit community, and the persistence of the root causes of trafficking and prostitution, including poverty.

Participation in political and public life

23. The Committee welcomes the 33 percent representation of women in the Constituent Assembly. However, the Committee is deeply concerned about the very low representation of women, in particular Dalit and indigenous women, in high-level decision-making positions, the public service, the judiciary and the diplomatic service, in the National Human Rights Commission and at the local level.

24. The Committee recommends that:

(a) The quota system for women representation in the Constituent Assembly is increased in the future Parliament; and

(b) The State party fully utilize the Committee’s general recommendation No. 23 and adopt temporary special measures, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendation No. 25, in order to accelerate the full and equal participation of women in public and political life. To this end, the Committee recommends that the State party:

(i) Establish concrete goals and timetables so as to accelerate the increase in the representation of women, including Dalit and indigenous women, in elected and appointed bodies in all areas of public life from local level, including at the Village Development Committee level, to national and diplomatic levels; and

(ii) Implement awareness-raising activities on the importance of the participation of women in decision-making for society as a whole, and develop targeted training and mentoring programmes for women candidates and women elected to public office, as well as programmes on leadership and negotiation skills for current and future women leaders.

Education

27. While welcoming the overall increase in gender parity in primary and secondary education, the Committee is concerned about the minimal increase in female enrolment, the very high rate of drop out among girls, the urban/rural disparities in access to education and illiteracy rates, and the low literacy rate of female adults. The Committee is further concerned about the very low number of female teachers at all levels of education.

28. The Committee urges the State party to enhance its compliance with article 10 of the Convention and to raise awareness of the importance of education as a human right and as the basis for the empowerment of women. To this end, it urges the State party to:

(a) Strengthen its efforts to achieve universal provision of quality education for girls at each level of the education system in urban, rural and remote areas, provide access to education to girls with disabilities through improvement of infrastructures and provision of support systems, with special attention to girls from Dalit, Indigenous and other disadvantaged groups;

Women facing multiple forms of discriminations

39. The Committee is deeply concerned about the multiple forms of discrimination against disadvantaged groups of women such as Dalit and indigenous women, widows and women with disabilities.

40. The Committee urges the State party to prioritize combating multiple forms of discrimination against women from various disadvantaged groups through the collection of data on the situation of these women, and the adoption of legal provisions and comprehensive programs, including public education and awareness raising campaigns involving the mass media as well as community and religious leaders, to combat multiple discriminations.