INSEC has demanded to ensure zero tolerance of caste-based discrimination and untouchability that exists even today in Nepal.
INSEC Chairperson Dr. Kundan Aryal, issued a statement on 21 March 2023 demanding the government to ensure the human rights, self-respect, and social justice of the Dalit community under the commitment made by the government to the international community, the constitution, and laws.
The statement states, “On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March), we call upon state agencies to sincerely follow the zero-tolerance policy towards all the incidents of caste-based discrimination and untouchability in Nepal.”
Nepal ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965) in 1971 and declared the country an untouchability-free State in 2006 following the civil movement of 1996-2006.
The Constitution of Nepal and the Caste Discrimination and Untouchability (Crimes and Punishments) Act 2068 have ensured the right and fundamental rights against caste discrimination. The Act has put caste-based untouchability and discrimination in the category of crimes.
The Nepal Human Rights Year Book 2023, published by INSEC, documented 22 people of caste-based discrimination.