News Digest: Human Rights, Gender and Social Inclusion (January 20 – 26, 2022)
Human Rights
The National Human Rights Commission has asked the government not to deprive anyone of service if they cannot produce the vaccine card, stating it would be a violation of their human rights.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the government to work more effectively to tackle the ongoing crisis. NHRC has urged the government officials for a hassle free vaccination service and access to basic medicines.
Gender and Social Inclusion
The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to restrict Nepali nationals from flying to Malaysia and other Gulf countries under visit visa, effective from January 24, until further notice. The decision was made after receiving multiple complaints of exploitation and inhuman treatment from Nepali workers in the UAE. However, the government has laid down number of exemptions to this restriction.
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) under the National Planning Commission has published the preliminary results of the National Census-2078 BS (2021) on 26 January. The population of Nepal has reached 29.1 million. The data shows population of females numbered 14,901,169 (51.04 percent) while that of males is 14,291,311.
As per the preliminary results of National Census a total of 2,169,478 Nepalis are living abroad. Out of them 81.28 percent are male. Number of women living abroad is 4 lakh 6 thousand 103 (18.72 percent), an increment by 71 percent in 10 years.
According to Keshav Koirala-Chief of Maiti Nepal from Nepalgunj, the practice of surrogacy, even though illegal in Nepal, has increased. Nepali women from Bake and Bardiya are trafficked to Indian states and are forced into surrogacy.
CESIF Nepal