For Gender Balance

Gender has been directly linked with human rights. Gender issues have often been linked with the issue and rights of women. In fact, gender is not an issue of women alone but of the society. This issue has greater impact on the overall development of the society and the country. Women, mostly in the developing countries, are deprived of their basic rights and opportunities. As a result, women in the developing countries are backward, less educated and more dependent on their male counterparts. As women are backward, societies are also backward. Thus, the gender issue concerns humanity, and gender equality aims at ensuring equal participation and development of both men and women. Women constitute half the population, so sustainable development of any country and society cannot be achieved in the absence of active and constructive participation and development of women. One of the major causes of backwardness and slow pace of development in the developing world is, thus, the gross negligence of gender issues and lack of gender equality. Realising this, gender, though late, has now received due prominence in all sectors.

As a developing country, Nepal's case is also not much different in terms of gender. Theoretically, Nepal has adequate provisions for gender equality and women's rights. It has ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The constitutional and legal provisions have strictly prohibited any forms of discrimination on the ground of sex, colour and caste. However, the reality is different. Majority of women in Nepal are still illiterate. Women have relatively less say in decision making and social and economic activities. Although a law has been enacted concerning equal share for women in parental properties, women are still not being able to enjoy fully the rights due to social and cultural bias. Some leading women have aptly raised this issue and said that only limited number of women have benefited from the new legal arrangements, while the majority of women in the rural areas are still deprived of their basic rights. This is mainly due to the ignorance of women concerning their rights and legal provisions. Against this background, Minister for Information and Communication Krishna Bahadur Mahara, in an interaction organised by Women's Rehabilitation Centre in Kathmandu, has said that the existing discrimination against women should be eliminated through political will and effective social mobilisation. The remarks of the minister are appropriate which need to be put into practice.

Source: The Rising Nepal, June 1, 2007