All News

The Karnali Province-level Human Rights Defender Network formed by Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) has submitted a memorandum to Rajkumar Sharma, the Chief Minister of Karnali Province on April 26, 2023, demanding the establishment of child reform homes and safe houses in Karnali Province.

The Province is obligated to send minors accused of various crimes to child reform homes in other provinces due to the lack of child reform homes within the province. The memorandum requests the provincial government to include plans for constriction of the child reform homes in the budget of the Karnali provincial government for the year 022/023, ensuring proper management of the entire infrastructure according to the standard set The Operation and Management of Chid Reform Home, 2022.

Pitambar Dhakal, Coordinator of the Human Rights Defenders Network, said they have demanded to make immediate policy decisions and implement them to prepare the necessary permanent infrastructure (including buildings) for the operation of province-level safe houses to provide short-term services and facilities to women and children who are victims of domestic violence in Karnali Province.

According to INSEC data, women and children are the primary victims of human rights abuses in Karnali province in the last three months. According to the latest records of INSEC, one woman and five men have been victims of human rights violations in 10 districts of Karnali province during the period from January to March 2023. Among them, INSEC has documented five individuals who were beaten and one who was threatened. During this period, 57 women and 19 girls have been victimized in women’s rights and gender-based violence cases.

During this period, in Karnali province, 11 people were killed due to corporal punishment and 6 people were killed due to child marriage, 39 people were killed as a result of domestic violence, 8 people were killed after rape, and 7 people were killed following polygamy. INSEC data shows domestic violence to be the main cause of violation of women’s rights.

Narayan Subedi, INSEC Karnali Provincial Coordinator, said that there is an increase in human rights violations in Karnali every year and women are the primary victims.

Prabha Kumari Raut