Recent Activities

In Gandaki Province, a total of 244 incidents of human rights violations and abuses have been recorded within a span of 6 months. Shiv Khakurel, Provincial Coordinator of Informal Sector(INSEC), announced this data on July 5 during the human rights interaction of Gandaki Province organized by Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC) in Pokhara. 

According to coordinator Khakurel and as per the records of INSEC, 11 victims were recorded from the state side in Gandaki from January to June 2023. From the other side, out of the total 232 victims, there were 220 women and 12 men. 

At the program, Speaker of Gandaki Province Krishna Prasad Dhital, said that it would be easy to work based on the Nepal Human Rights Year Book published by INSEC. He emphasized that the government has only focused on development activities and that it is necessary to work collectively to reduce incidents of human rights violations. 

Gandaki Province Assembly Member Prakash Baral expressed the need to be united and work together instead of blaming each other and emphasized on the importance of collaboration in implementing actions.

Province Assembly Member Kusum Budha Rana said that while talking about rights, one should also pay attention to duties. 

Manmaya Pangeni, Secretary of Chief Minister’s Office and Council of Ministers’ Office, Gandaki, said that minimizing violence must be initiated from home. She expressed her commitment to collaborate with INSEC and work in all 11 districts of the province to address the topics related to human rights under the fifth national action plan on human rights. 

Bina Silwal, Coordinator of Civil Society Network for Peace, Pokhara, said that financially marginalized citizens are deprived of access to resources. Bishnu Prasad Baral, former coordinator of the Civil Society Pokhara, acknowledged that the task of documentation of incidents was challenging and INSEC has carried out commendable work in this regard. 

Sumitra Gayak, the Chairperson of the Dalit Women’s Association (FEDO) in Kaski, expressed distress and raised concerns over an incident where a house was set on fire in Jumla due to inter-caste marriage. Kamal Karki from Naulo Bihani Pokhara highlighted the need for the state to take responsibility for issues related to sexual and minority communities. Sudip Paudel, the Chairperson of the Provincial Children’s Council, revealed that although children are subjected to gender-based violence, only a small number of cases are exposed. 

During the program, Amrit Prasad Paudel, the representative of INSEC in Myagdi, was honored for his excellent work in editing the Nepal Human Rights Yearbook 2023. He was honored with a certificate of recognition, along with a cash prize of NPR 7,000, by the Chief Guest Dhital and INSEC Coordinator Shiva Khakurel. 

Narayan K.C