Programmes

Women's Rights

Advocacy

After a long and protracted national campaign which lasted 10 years, CAC-Nepal successfully achieved our goal for Nepali daughters to inherit property rights (2003). Prior to this, only the son could inherit the property rights. As part of the women's rights movement,we advocated, rallied, demonstrated and pressurised the government to make the necessary changes. CAC-Nepal was also the pioneer of passing citizenship rights from the mother to the child. As part of the Nepali Constitution, only the father could transfer citizenship to their children. Therefore it was an absolute infringement of the human rights for the child not to have this access to citizenship through the mother. To raise this issue, the President of CAC-Nepal, Ms Tulasa Lata Amatya conducted a series of press conferences, workshops and forums in Nepal and in 2004, she presented on this issue at the 30th CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women) Session in the UN in New York. The Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare also attended this session. In the concluding remarks from the Chair, Nepal was directed to revise their constitution and follow the protocol of CEDAW in allowing women to pass citizenship to their children.

Following this conference, the citizenship issue was put on the national agenda and taken up as a national issue. As a result, the citizenship right through the mother was brought into law in 2007. However, discriminatory laws are still in existence relating to citizenship. The Nepali woman who marries a non-Nepali cannot transfer Nepali citizenship to her children but a Nepali man who marries a non-Nepali can transfer his Nepali citizenship to his children. CAC-Nepal continues to fight for gender equality rights on behalf of these women.