Kathmandu, November 25:

Commitments made by the government in international conferences on abolishing violence against women and promoting gender equality have been confined to paper works, said Sapana Pradhan Malla, president of Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD).

Speaking at a press meet organised in the capital today to mark the international day on ‘Violence Against Women,’ Malla underscored the need to introduce laws to discourage domestic violence. According to her, the legislative mechanism is weak and corrupt.

“We do not have adequate laws to address all forms of violence against women,” she said, adding that communal constraint is one of the major factors that is encouraging such violence.

Though the security budget has been increased significantly in the last couple of years, the increment has contributed very less in minimising violence against women, she said.

Gender equality is one step towards minimising the violence, she said. Though it has been underscored as an important indicator to meet Millennium Development Goals and to address other issues related to human rights, there has not been much progress, she said. Every year, the day — ‘Violence Against Women’ — is marked with over two-week-long programmes. “For the health of women, for the health of the world, no more violence” is the slogan of ‘Violence Against Women’ this year.