During her meetings with several women organizations and inter-party women´s alliance in the capital on Monday and Tuesday, Hodge, who is also a former British minister, stated that gender bias exists even in developed countries like Britain.[break]
“It is very sad that gender based violence has been constantly on the rise in Nepal. The sadder part is the legal aspect where the victim has the responsibility to gather and produce evidence against the perpetrator,” said Hodge, speaking at an interaction program on ´gender issues in Nepal´ on Monday.
“Until and unless women stand united for equality, the situation will hardly change,” she added. The program was organized by Sankalpa Nepal, a network of a dozen of women organizations.
In her presentation, former parliamentarian Arzoo Deuba highlighted severe level of gender discrimination in the high hills and mid-western districts, which is attributed mainly to the disparity between the male and female´s literacy rate.
“Only 55 percent of women in the country are literate as against 81 percent male. This affects the gender situation in the country, and more so in the least developed regions,” she said. “However, there have been some remarkable developments over the years. Gender issues are given more attention by the media and the political parties," she added.
In her separate meeting with the inter-party women´s alliance, Hodge remarked the historical 33 percent women´s participation in the parliament. Meanwhile, several women leaders including Shahi Shrestha stated that their network will continue to push for justice and equality for women.
On Tuesday, Hodge held meetings with working women journalists (WWJ), Fatima Foundation and Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) among others women´s organizations.
Hodge is in Nepal for 10 days.
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