Following the declaration of Nepal being a country ‘ free from untouchability’ by the House of Representatives, human rights activists have urged the MPs to accept a draft law to end the practice of untouchability prepared by the Lawyers’ National Campaign Against Untouchability (LANCAU).
Addressing an interaction programme in the capital on Wednesday, human rights advocate Gopal Siwakoti urged the House to endorse the draft law.
Nepal had abolished the practice of untouchability and caste discrimination about 50 years ago by endorsing a United Nations declaration but its implementation has not been effective.
Former Speaker and senior advocate Daman Nath Dhungana stressed on the need to simplify process for reporting to the police against racial and caste discrimination. “Even verbal reports should be accepted by the government offices,” he added.
Dhungana suggested that offenders in the community should be punished so that they would be discouraged to repeat their crime in future. He also asked Dalit organisations to initiate campaigns to enter into temples to create awareness among the people against untouchability.
Other speakers urged the government to come up with special programmes and policies to uplift livelihood of the disadvantaged groups.