KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has spoken of the need for additional efforts to bring about positive changes in the people’s perspective about women.
Interacting with the Heads of the various constitutional bodies, secretaries of several ministries and representatives of civic societies at the Office of President-Sheetal Niwas- Thursday, President Bhandari urged concerned one and all to spearhead a new social campaign to eradicate gender-based discrimination and superstition.
Stressing on the need to protect the good social practices where women are accorded due respect, the first female President of the country expressed her sorrow over the growing cases of gender-based violence in the country.
“Although many institutions and laws were revised to secure the rights of women, cases of gender-based violence were on the rise due to the criminal mindset of the perpetrators,” Bhandari said.
On the occasion, Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizen Juli Kumari Mahato pledged to lead the social campaign that aims to reduce the gender-based discrimination and violence by ensuring reforms in policy. She also called for cooperation from the provincial and local governments for the same.
She underlined the need for more efforts to provide immediate relief packages to the survivors of the gender-based violence and rehabilitate them later.
Similarly, National Women Commission’s Chair Kamala Kumari Parajuli emphasized effective implementation of the laws formulated to minimize the cases of gender-based violence.
Vice-President of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Bandana Rana as well as other human rights activists and women journalists had univocally said that change in the mindset was the biggest challenge now to reduce the cases of gender-based violence.
According to President’s press expert Tika Dhakal, President Bhandari has expressed her concern over the rape and subsequent murder of teenage girls in Kanchanpur and Baitadi districts and she summoned the stakeholders to discuss on forging coordinated efforts for reforms at legal, practical and policy-level.
Dhakal said,” President Bhandari is very sensitive towards the cases of violence reported in our society. Today’s interaction was due to her sensitiveness towards the issue.”
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