We Are Committed to Creating Human Rights Friendly Municipality

Ghodaghodi Municipality, the Central religion of the Kailali district, has an area of 354.44 sq km, with a population of 87,679. The municipality has 12 wards with various ethnic and caste groups like Tharu, Dalits, and other castes.

Khadga Bahadur Rawat, Mayor of Ghodaghodi Municipality, had an interview with one of the INSEC representatives, Maita Moti Chaudhary.

How is the overall situation of Human Rights within the Municipality?

The Municipality provides free education; health and drinking water facilities to families belonging to the Mukta, Kamaiyya, and Dalit communities to ensure their standard of living. The government provides free education up to class 8, adequate health services through health care centers, subsidized ambulance fares, drinking water facilities, subsidized food grains, and clothing to guarantee human rights. Apart from domestic violence and occasional criminal incidents, there are no recorded acts of other human rights violations and abuse here. However, the Municipality is conducting programs for additional plans and policies on economic, social, and cultural rights.

What kind of human rights-friendly laws are implemented by the Municipality?

We have made efforts to ensure basic rights by creating a human rights-friendly city. We have formulated laws that are concerned with citizen’s daily life. The Municipality has formulated Acts and Regulations regarding Education, Health, Sanitation, and Relief Distribution to economically underprivileged residents, Human Trafficking Control Procedures, and Judicial Acts. We are currently formulating plans and policies for the protection and promotion of citizens’ rights.

What actions has the Municipality taken to ensure access to education for children of economically and socially marginalized communities?

We have conducted a door-to-door campaign to enroll children in 50 community schools, and 31 institutional schools within this Municipality. Schools here ensure access to education for every citizen regardless of their financial condition.

What sort of policies and programs have the local government implemented for the eradication of domestic violence, the Chaupadi system, and caste discrimination?

Chaupadi and caste discrimination have decreased compared to the past. However, it has not been eradicated completely. There are still some pervasive cultural traditions and practices ongoing. For this, the Municipality is conducting programs in coordination with various non-governmental organizations. The ward and the Municipality have conducted capacity development, skill-based training programs, and awareness programs to reduce bad practices and traditions.

How has the Municipality ensured the participation of Dalits, Mukta Haliya, Kamaiyyya, Kamlahri, and women in their municipal plans?

We follow seven stages as a planning process. We collect and prioritize plans from every ward and select them from the municipal level. In this way, all the citizens at the ward level, including the members of the marginalized community, are provided space for participation in the meeting. We select plans to prioritize issues like the development of economic, social, infrastructure, forest environment, disaster management, and institutional capacity development.