Kathmandu, Nepal, 25th Nov. 2009 

On the day of launching the 16 days of Activism on Violence Against Women for the year 2009, Isis-WICCE joined WOREC to celebrate the day in Kathmandu on organised programmes that reflected incidences of violence against women. The activities also included participating in activities and programmes that are being initiated by policy makers to prevent and end violence against women.

With the 35 participants currently attending the 2009/10 International exchange programme Institute in Nepal, the two organisations on 25th Nov. 2009 joined the local Nepalese Women Pressure Security Group at a press conference at Dutbar Square in Kathmandu press conference regarding the ultimatum to government regarding the fate of a female police officer who was gang raped by her six male colleagues in September 2009. 

The Women Security Pressure Group is a network of Nepalese women activists from different Nepalese sectors that was initiated by women human rights defenders to ensure the rights of women.

In the ultimatum, the Women Security Group demanded that the government uses the mechanisms in place to arrest and ensure the perpetrators are punished for the crime and also ensure that the victim’s legal rights are respected. Isis-WICCE and WOREC’s participation were to show support and solidarity with the women of Nepal as they advocated for the rights of the female police officer.

Isis-WICCE and WOREC also led participants to the 2009/10 Institute to Everest Hotel in Kathmandu to witness the launching of the government’s national campaign on Gender Based Violence (GBV). The campaign which is spearheaded by the office of the Prime Minister came out with a National Plan of Action that declared 2010 a year of ending gender based violence in the country with a major stand point on no more violence against women.

While launching the plan of action, the Nepalese Prime Minister Hon. Madhav Kumar noted that GBV to date remains a national challenge and called on all to work together to implement the plan and ensure that there is zero tolerance to GBV in all sectors of the Nepalese society. He called on all institutions to ensure gender sensitive budgeting, implementation and concrete monitoring in all sectors.

Most speakers at the function called for end of GBV and the need to ensure equality and equal opportunity among women and men. The head of the United Nations mission in Nepal specially called on every one to take individual responsibility on ending violence against women. “…violence against women has no place in any society”, he declared. 

The function was attended by Nepalese constituent assembly members, heads of missions and multilateral agencies and Women Human Rights Defenders. The function also featured dramatic interludes depicting actions of violence and oppressive cultural practices in Nepal that hinder women from enjoying and exercising their rights.