The House of Representatives, on Thursday, passed the Gender Equality Bill 2063 unanimously, seeking to end all existing discriminatory legal provisions against women.

The bill was prepared by the government in the backdrop of various international conventions on women’s rights to which Nepal is a state party; the directives by the Supreme Court issued in different times; and the commitment by the House of Representatives to provide citizenship also in the name of mother.

The endorsed act will amend discriminatory provisions on inheritance of properties, divorce, rape, public service etc. The new act makes it mandatory to mention the name of mother in addition to father when revealing personal information. Likewise, the name of wife has also been added alongside name of husband in such personal record. The act makes marital rape a criminal offense and a valid ground for seeking divorce.

Welcoming the endorsement of the bill, Bandana Rana, a leading women’s rights activist and former chairperson of National Women’s Commission, has called for “speedy legislation formulation” so that the “positive provisions” passed by the parliament will come into effect soon.

Likewise, Babita Basnet, president of Sancharika Samuha – a women’s rights advocacy forum – terms the new act as “ground-breaking in the area of women’s rights.” She, however, expresses apprehensions that the new act, too, could face similar fate of non-implementation as other acts, laws and declarations by the parliament.