National Initiatives for Violence in Nepal

Nepal has made strong normative and legal commitments to end gender-based violence and inequality. Some of the initiatives are as follows:

1. Nepal has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
2. Nepal supports the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action; and has accordingly adopted nation action plans.
3. Nepal has enacted the Domestic Violence (Crime and Punishment) Act, Witchcraft related Accusation (Crime and Punishment) Act, The Sexual Harassment at the Workplace (Elimination) Act, Directives to Regulate Domestic Workers to Work in Gulf Countries, National Action Plan on Foreign Employment, the Act to Amend Some Nepal Acts for Maintaining Gender Equality and Ending Gender Based Violence.
4. Nepal has put in place a five-year national strategy and action plan (2012-2017) for ending gender-based violence.
5. The major political parties signed a declaration to end violence against women.
6. A Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control Act) has been adopted.
7. A Girl's Education Strategy Paper and Policy Guideline on Corporal Punishment and Consolidated Equity Strategy Paper is in place to prevent and end school-related gender based violence.
8. A Prime Ministerial unit to address gender-based violence was adopted in 2010.
9. The Government undertook a COMMIT Pledge in 2013, which states that the Government is committed to investing in gender equality and women's empowerment to tackle root causes of violence against women and girls.
10. Nepal also agreed to implement the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women agreed conclusions on elimination of violence against women.
11. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal participated in June 2014, Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.
12. The new constitution of Nepal, adopted in 2015, guarantees the right of women to protection against any forms of violence as the fundamental right. The Constitution also recognizes right if victims of crime to be informed about the investigation and proceedings of the case regarding her victimization and guarantees justice, social rehabilitation and compensation for the first time in the Constitutional history of Nepal.

The UN System in Nepal is fully committed to support Government of Nepal and civil society in concrete actions to realize the rights of all women and girls, and a framework is provided by the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women agreed conclusions, the Secretary-General's UNITE to End Violence against Women campaign as well as Nepal's United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF 2013-2017).

Other supportive programs, activities; NGOs/INGOs are as follows:

• Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign
• Child Marriage and Dowry Eradication National Campaign by BHORE Nepal
• Various NGOs, CBOs like Maiti Nepal, WOREC
• One-Stop Crisis Management Centers at different levels of health facility
• Chaupadi Elimination Campaign
• Community-based Reproductive Health and Counseling Center and Gender-Based Violence Program

Furthermore, the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC) is a SAARC Apex body which is an inter-governmental body with a vision that all children, girls, and boys, throughout South Asia enjoy their right to an environment free from all forms of violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect and discrimination.