Kathmandu, June 20

Organisers of ‘Enough Is Enough’ movement today said they were alarmed by, and condemn, the recent acts of caste and gender-based violence that have taken place in some quarantine facilities and surrounding communities.

“We call on the government to act urgently to deliver justice and put measures in place to prevent such violence and discrimination at this time when social vulnerabilities are exacerbated,” read a press release issued by the organisers.

The movement is spearheaded by youths. “As the country is reeling under public health crisis, deep economic distress, and challenges on many other fronts, Nepali citizens are fighting to safeguard their most basic needs and rights.

The most vulnerable among us — migrants, Dalits and women — are having the hardest time,” read the release.

In response to the government’s lack of urgency, transparency and accountability concerning COVID-19 management, a series of non-violent, citizen-led, non-partisan protests have been catalysed across the country. In the past 10 days, independent protests have been organised in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar, Dhangadi, Chitwan, Surkhet, Birgunj, Dhankuta, Bhaktapur, Butwal, Dang, Palpa, Hetauda and Lalitpur. These protests have been leaderless and spontaneous, the press released stated.

“As our political leadership continues to promote denial and misinformation and attempts to constantly derail the conversation from the questions that Nepali citizens are asking, we wish to focus our attention on the key issues that urgently need to be addressed regarding COVID-19 management,” read the release.

The movement has demanded PCR test on everyone at risk, regardless of symptoms; implementation of the four-tier triage approach for all at risk populations; protection of health workers; protection of human rights of suspect, confirmed or recovered COVID-19 patients; acknowledgement of acute vulnerability of the needy people and transparency and accountability in budget allocation and expenditures.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 21, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.