Stimulate Law to Ban Untouchability- Navi Pillay says
Nepaldalitinfo Report by Rupesh Silwal
LONDON, 22 March, 2009- The Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Chief has advised Nepal to stimulate existing laws to ban untouchability and enforce accountability to those who commit human rights violations. UN Higher Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Navanethem Pillay, during her 5 day visit to Nepal, expressed support on ‘significant steps’ already taken against the caste based discrimination.
Talking to representatives of the civil society in Kathmandu, Navi Pillay stated discrimination as one of the major causes of conflict in Nepal, and those marginalized groups including women should essentially enjoy changes in their lives with an immediate access to justice when their human rights get violated- a Washington DC based organisation International Commission for Dalit Rights (ICDR)’s document post quoted.
Focusing post Comprehensive Peace Agreement progresses and consequences, she said, “The challenges that lie ahead remain as daunting as those that have been surmounted already.”
“Recognizing the need to consolidate the peace and to support those working for a ‘new Nepal’, we have refocused our programmes to address fundamental human rights issues that lay at the root of the conflict, and which regrettably continue today, especially discrimination, lack of access to social, economic and cultural rights and impunity,” Navi Pillay said.
Navi Pillay met President, Prime Minister and higher authorities in the Government of Nepal. She consulted with Civil Society members on human rights issues, and also visited local families of human rights victims.
UN Higher Commissioner’s visit also marked a special day against racial discrimination- International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the 21st March.
During her visit in Janakpur on 21st March, Pillay underlined the present situation of impunity and lack of social security. One of the national onlines dainikee.com reported UN Higher Commissioner’s commitment of highest priority is to eliminate caste based discrimination in Nepal.
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination marked 43rd years of recognizing 69 lives sacrificed in South Africa in what was a peaceful demonstration by Blacks but had brutal ending. Almost half a decade after this unpleasant incident, UN declared 21st March as a special day to commemorate all sacrifices made against racial discrimination. Nepal has been commemorating this day in various forms annually. Yet, not a single day out of a month or more of national days in the country is exclusively dedicated to the sacrifices made by thousands of Dalit lives in caste-based discrimination prevailing for hundreds of years in the country’s history.
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