Sixth shadow report to be presented to CEDAW committee

Lalitpur, January 18

Women rights activists from civil society are in the final stage of raising three issues of women with high priority in the sixth Shadow Report for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) committee.

Speaking at a programme organised jointly by Sancharika Samuha and Shadow Report Preparation Committee today, senior advocate Sapana Malla Pradhan said they were going to raise the issue of the impacts of disaster on women, women’s access to transitional justice and right to information in the shadow report.

She said, “The main aim of the shadow report is to analyse the weaknesses and loopholes of the main report for the CEDAW committee.”

“For the first time we have incorporated the suffering of women in the aftermath of the quake and preparations for natural disasters in the shadow report,” she said, stating that it was a great opportunity for women to unveil their pains and suffering to the entire world.

Each signatory of CEDAW has to submit the report on implementation of the convention every four years to the CEDAW committee.

The government had to submit the sixth report to the CEDAW committee by July 2015, but due to the earthquake, it was delayed.

Radhika Aryal, joint-secretary, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare admitted that the government was already very late in submitting the report.

She said they had added the issue of effects of earthquake on women in the aftermath of the April 25 earthquake and its aftershocks and the issue of citizenship in the report.

She further said that they have also raised the issue of rights and opportunities ensured by the constitution for women.

Aryal informed that the ministry was in the final stage of submitting the sixth report to the cabinet for a final nod from government.

The shadow report is presented to CEDAW committee only after submission of the report from the government.

Nirmala Sharma, president, Sancharika Samuha;, Babita Basnet, president, Media Advocacy Group; Manju Gurung, president, Paurakhi; Sabin Shrestha, executive director of Forum for Women, Law and Development; and Tulasa Lata Amatya also spoke about the shadow report for the CEDAW committee.

The issues of gender discrimination, mandatory provision of coding the father in the birth registration certificate were also discussed.