KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 4
Prakriti Shrestha, an adolescent girl from Nepal, spoke at CEDAW Committee in Geneva today on some of the issues faced by young women and girls in the country. She said despite legal progress in the country, the belief that women are lesser than men persist across generations, limiting opportunities and growth for many girls.
In particular, educational institutions lack universal design and reasonable accommodations in infrastructure, which creates significant barriers for students, especially those with disabilities, she added.
In fact, 60 per cent of girls with disabilities and Indigenous girls end up dropping out of school due to factors like lack of accessibility, language barriers, school bullying, and cultural norms.
Shrestha said although the practice of Chhaupadi has been criminalised and 8,550 chhau goths have been dismantled within the span of two months, the practice is still prevalent in many areas.
The 2021 National Census shows high child marriage prevalence, with 22.3 per cent of individuals marrying between 15-17 and 0.3 per cent before age 10. However, only 52 cases were officially reported in the 2023/24 fiscal. The Criminal Code criminalizes child marriage but also prosecutes the children involved, leading to the prosecution of 9 children aged 17-18, 10 aged 15-16, and 1 aged 11-14.
Shreshta urged the government to increase the education budget to ensure universal access and address gender disparities, in line with sustainable development goals (SDG) target 4.5. She urged the government to amend child marriage laws to exempt children from criminal prosecution, focusing on their protection and support instead.
She said school system should be reformed to ensure accessibility, intercultural teaching methods, and access to mother tongue languages of indigenous communities.
