Vow to end violence, ensure equal participation
KATHMANDU, DEC 05 -
The government for the first time has readied a national action plan to ensure women’s participation in every step of the peace process as well as to meet the United Nation Security Council’s (UNSC) resolution on women and peace and security.
The 18-member steering committee headed by Deputy Prime Minster Sujata Koirala has already approved the plan. It will soon be forwarded to the Cabinet for its approval, according to officials.
Once the Cabinet endorses the document, each ministry will devise a five-year implementation plan to ensure meaningful participation of women in the decision-making level and women’s security, among others.
“This is the first action plan of this kind that guarantees equal, proportionate and meaningful participation of women in decision making level of every conflict transformation and peace building process in the country,” said Sadhu Ram Sapkota, joint secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction.
He said that women in the country have always been vulnerable targets; many of them have been kidnapped, raped and assaulted, whether that is during the armed conflict or post-conflict period.
According to Sapkota, the plan became an essential after the country saw ‘no representation’ of women while signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Nov. 2006 and during high-level discussions thereafter.
The action plan, prepared with the involvement of various ministries, complies with the UNSC resolution of 2000, which had directed the government to ensure women’s participation.
“The plan aims at engaging women and children in peace building process, enhancing women’s representation at the decision making and programme implementation levels, protecting women’s rights by addressing the special needs of women and providing transitional justice through relief package and reparation,” reads the plan.
“The implementation of the plan is important for achieving the meaningful and sustainable peace in the country,” said Bandana Rana, president of Sathi, an NGO working for women’s rights and their empowerment.
Rana, also a member of the technical committee of the action plan, said, “The plan will be instrumental not only to ensure women’s participation in the decision making level but also to end violence against them and achieve sustainable peace here.”
Posted on: 2010-12-05 08:48
http://www.ekantipur.com/2010/12/05/national/plan-for-womens-uplift/326023/
Two action plans on the cards
Added At: 2010-12-04 11:08 PM
Last Updated At: 2010-12-05 11:08 PM
Laxmi Maharjan
KATHMANDU: The government is formulating two action plans with an objective to address the woes of those women and children who were externally and internally displaced during the decade-long armed conflict.
The action plans are National Plan of Action for Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Conflict Affected Children, and NPA on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and 1820 on women peace and security.
Although the country is in the recovery phase after the armed conflict, social reunion, reintegration and rehabilitation are still a big challenge, said Sumnima Tuladhar Executive Coordinator of Child Workers in Nepal. “There is still stigma and discrimination against children that are directly or indirectly involved in the war. Majority of children during the conflict and in the post-conflict period were and are denied care, education, health service, recreation and other basic services.”
Women and girl children are often victims of sexual violence and exploitation, and, increasingly, girl children are being recruited into fighting forces by many armed forces in the country at present, said Tuladhar.
“National intervention is required for social reintegration of girl survivors of abuse and exploitation with appropriate opportunities for self reliance and economic independence,” said Tuladhar, adding that integrated community-based reintegration programme for children associated with fighting force is essential to address the problem of girl children in a sustainable way and that girls more often are overlooked, even though they are in the greatest need of care and services.
According to CWIN-2007, during the decade-long armed conflict, 475 children lost their lives and among them, 205 were girl children. Several cases of girls being sexually abused during the war also have come into the fore.
As soon as the Cabinet approves the action plans, the country will be able to develop a framework to address rehabilitation and reintegration of conflict-affected children, said Dal Bahadur KC, Under Secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction. He added they are trying to provide equal rights to women for their proportional participation in all the peace building processes.
Both NPAs are based on specific guidelines on international conventions on children and women on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of all categories of children associated with armed forces and armed groups, added KC.
The action plans are National Plan of Action for Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Conflict Affected Children, and NPA on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and 1820 on women peace and security.
Although the country is in the recovery phase after the armed conflict, social reunion, reintegration and rehabilitation are still a big challenge, said Sumnima Tuladhar Executive Coordinator of Child Workers in Nepal. “There is still stigma and discrimination against children that are directly or indirectly involved in the war. Majority of children during the conflict and in the post-conflict period were and are denied care, education, health service, recreation and other basic services.”
Women and girl children are often victims of sexual violence and exploitation, and, increasingly, girl children are being recruited into fighting forces by many armed forces in the country at present, said Tuladhar.
“National intervention is required for social reintegration of girl survivors of abuse and exploitation with appropriate opportunities for self reliance and economic independence,” said Tuladhar, adding that integrated community-based reintegration programme for children associated with fighting force is essential to address the problem of girl children in a sustainable way and that girls more often are overlooked, even though they are in the greatest need of care and services.
According to CWIN-2007, during the decade-long armed conflict, 475 children lost their lives and among them, 205 were girl children. Several cases of girls being sexually abused during the war also have come into the fore.
As soon as the Cabinet approves the action plans, the country will be able to develop a framework to address rehabilitation and reintegration of conflict-affected children, said Dal Bahadur KC, Under Secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction. He added they are trying to provide equal rights to women for their proportional participation in all the peace building processes.
Both NPAs are based on specific guidelines on international conventions on children and women on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of all categories of children associated with armed forces and armed groups, added KC.
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