KATHMANDU: Women for Human Rights, single women group (WHR) is becoming a common platform for sharing their pain and grief. Established in 2052 BS, around 150,000 single women are associated with the organization.

The organization was established with the objective of working in favor of the welfare and rights of single women. It has organized women by expanding its network across the nation and has its own building in 17 districts.

The buildings have been developed as the common platform to forget the grief and pain of single women facing various difficulties. It is said that there are around 700,000 single women across the nation.

It was challenging to establish the organization during that time. The women were afraid to come to the organization openly.

It has been running different skill-oriented activities for the social transformation of women.

Now, different programs in favor of single women and empowerment are being organized due to gradual change with the time.

Director Rajin Rayamajhi expressed happiness over the positive attitude of the society towards single women due to continuous efforts of the group, saying the participation of single women has increased remarkably in development and policy-making level.

Violence and misbehavior upon single women have also found to decrease.

On the 111th International Women’s Day, the group has set up an archive unit under social transformation for single women.

The group has achieved issues of rights of single women and their social security and various related programs launched in various places of the country.

The unit set up on the premises of the organization in Budhanilkantha has put on display photos and educational materials related to the strengthening and empowerment of single women.

On the occasion, stating that the traditional practice for Hindu widows to wear white clothing for the rest of their life after the death of their husbands is being rejected by the society, rights activist and senior journalist Neha Sharma stressed the need for policy-level reforms in rehabilitating them in the society.

They need compassion and love, but not discrimination, she said. The group is at work to prepare a detailed project report of the construction of a park in around 35 ropanis of lands in Tokha. The government has been providing an allowance to single women.