Kathmandu, February 5

Minister of Women, Children and Senior Citizens Parbat Gurung today said the government was working to end evil social practices like witchcraft, dowry and child marriage.

“These harmful practices still exist in society. We all should be united to root out them,” he said speaking at an event organised here by National Network for Beijing Review Nepal. He urged all to join hands with the civil society to fight against social evils.

The government planned to bring policies and programmes for women’s development and empowerment and to realise the country’s national goal of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepalis’, he said. Minister Gurung also made public a survey report on the implementation status of the Beijing declaration passed by the Fourth World Women Conference, in Beijing. Nepal has made remarkable achievements in gender equality and the government was ready to cooperate with civil society to implement the treaties and conventions ratified by the state, he said.

Women rights activist Chandani Joshi said the report explained the situation of Nepali women.

President of Forum for Women, Law and Development Meera Dhungana suggested thorough implementation of the law on inheritance rights of girls and stressed on the need to enact law that allows mother to pass on citizenship to their children. She said one million children were deprived of citizenship certificates due to lack of law that grants citizenship in the name of mother.