Rights defenders call for human rights-compliant constitution
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KATHMANDU, DEC 10 - Various human rights defenders have urged the Constitutional Committee (CC) under the Constituent Assembly (CA) to protect the inherent dignity and human rights of all people living in Nepal, regardless of caste, by drafting a timely, human rights-compliant constitution.
Writing a letter on Friday to the CC and high level task force formed to settle contentious issues in statute drafting process, the rights defenders urged that the concerned parties to ensure the new constitution of Nepal will be in line with international human rights obligations. Nepal is already a party to around a score of international conventions and treaties concerning human rights.
The joint letter from Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ), Lawyers' National Campaign for Elimination of Caste Discrimination (LANCAU), Dalit Studies and Development Centre (DSDC), International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) and Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO) urged the lawmakers to ensure that the new constitution has effective legal remedies for rights violations, recognizes the National Dalit Commission as a constitutional body with full authority to investigate Dalit rights violations and provides for special measures to help secure substantive equality for Dalits and other members of disadvantaged groups.
Sent on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, the letter also urged the lawmakers to incorporate the recomendations made by a 2009 report "Rights Within Reach: Securing Euality and Human Rights in Nepal's Constitution" prepared by CHRGJ.
"As a State Party to many major human rights treaties -- including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination -- Nepal has a legal obligation to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of Dalits in Nepal," reads the letter.
Posted on: 2010-12-10 06:54
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