March 8 is the International Women’s Day. We want to take the opportunity to reflect on how we can improve the lives of millions of girls and women in Nepal faced with unfair treatment and lack of opportunities because of their sex.
Twenty years ago, 189 countries came together and decided to actively improve women’s rights, with the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. With the Declaration, participating countries—including Nepal—agreed that every woman and girl should be enabled to exercise her choices freely, participate in politics, get an education, have an independent income, and live in societies free from violence and discrimination.
Closing the gap
Gender roles in Nepal are changing. Most daughters experience freedoms and opportunities that their mothers have not had. However, most women and girls are also still being treated differently because of their sex. Many have little say over their own future. Decisions about whom to marry, where to live, how many children to have and where to work, are still not in their full control. Many are also still prevented from inheriting property and accessing higher education. Child marriages are still practised, and trafficking of young girls is a growing business. These are all cases of human rights abuses, which should motivate us all to fight for gender equality in Nepal.
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Many women experience discrimination at more than one level. Recent research from Tribhuvan University has looked at the gender dimension of social inclusion (www.siaep.org). Considering women’s control over the decision to marry, reproductive decisions and non-violence, their research clearly shows great disparity between women from different groups and regions. Only half of Nepali women experience gender inclusion in different aspects of their lives. Ensuring women’s rights is part of the overall effort needed to make our societies more just and inclusive.
It may seem like an overwhelming task to change ingrained negative attitudes and practices towards women. However, it is possible. First and foremost, what is needed is to ensure equal rights for men and women under the law. This can go hand in hand with public awareness campaigns on human rights, as we witnessed here in Nepal with national awareness campaign on violence against women.
Making a difference
Affirmative action has an important role to play in promoting equality. Provisions for women’s participation in public service and programs are opening up new opportunities for women to influence society. The number of women teachers are going up steadily, which has a positive impact on girls’ attendance, particularly at the secondary level. Almost half a million women are engaged in local level planning processes, through Ward Citizen Forums and Citizen Awareness Centers. They are making local government more accountable and responsive to the needs and priorities of women and girls. Allocations earmarked for women and children are increasingly being spent in ways that makes their lives better. These local institutions are also ensuring better access to social protection allowances for single women, people with disabilities and senior citizens.
Denmark, Norway, and Finland support the development of equality in Nepal through, among other things, the Local Governance and Community Development Programme, UN Women, the Rule of Law Programme, the Nepal Peace Trust Fund and support to girls’ education. The support, in addition to the efforts made by the Government of Nepal, has contributed to significant results. Over the last 20 years the number of Nepali girls attending school has increased with 1.5 million. Women’s representation in the Constituent Assembly increased to 29 percent in the 2013 elections, up from 2.9 percent in 1991. These girls and women serve as important role models, who will inspire future generations.
Equality benefits
Taking steps to address the gender gap is not only important for women and girls, it is also smart economics. Reports from World Economic Forum show that gender equality improve countries’ economic competitiveness. So, when more women also obtain higher education and participate in the economy, a huge source of human capital is unleashed.
The Nordic countries serve as good examples by being the front-runners and by giving women the right to vote in the beginning of the 20th century more than 100 years ago.
Before this, women in our countries did not have much influence over their lives and hardly any voice in the society. But today, men and women have equal access to higher education, and women are well represented in both politics and business. The principle of equal pay for work of equal value is well established.
An important vehicle to increase the number of women in the workforce has been affordable access to childcare and the right to paid leave for both mothers and fathers when a child is born. This makes it possible for women to return to the workplace and pursue a career after having children. In sum, these policies make the labour market larger, more flexible and more competitive. In Nepal’s strive to graduate from the list of least developed countries and to become more economically competitive, greater participation and contribution of women is an opportunity that should not be missed.
Equality between men and women cannot be achieved from one day to the next. It requires continuous efforts and political will to empower women. New laws to strengthen women’s rights in different areas are underway, and policies for affirmative action are giving women more opportunities to participate in public life. Increasingly, we see Nepali human rights organizations and women’s rights groups demanding security for women, and equal treatment for all. The media is playing a positive role by giving increased attention to discrimination and gender-based violence, and TV-programs such as Samakon are becoming popular. These are positive developments that give hope for the future.
According to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, gender equality benefits everyone: “When we unleash the power of women, we can secure the future for all.” On the International Women’s Day, we congratulate the strong and courageous women of Nepal! We want to lend our support to the continuous empowerment of women and girls, so that acid attacks on young girls, as the one we recently saw in Basantapur, will finally be history.
Geelan is Danish Ambassador, Pettersen the Norwegian Ambassador and Luukkainen the Finnish Ambassador to Nepal
