Kathmandu, August 29:

A women’s rights activist said today that countries in South Asia should adopt a regional approach to address problems facing the region’s women.

Speaking at a programme organised by Jagaran Nepal (JN), Sharmila Karki, president of JN, said problems of the region’s women are similar. Participation of women in politics is nominal in the region, she said, stressing the need to launch a regional-level programme to upgrade the status of women.

A seminar on ‘Women in Politics in South Asia: Context and Challenges’, held in Colombo on July 18, had concluded that South Asian women would not be able to attain equality without initiating a revolution to tackle problems of the region, she said. Karki said that 33 per cent reservation for women in Nepal was result of a decade-long struggle of women’s rights activists.