Protecting Human Rights

The 74th International Human Rights Day was observed on Saturday with the slogan ‘Dignity, freedom and justice for all' across the world. The day is marked on December 10 every year coinciding with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The UDHR document proclaims human rights as the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Human rights are moral norms, values and principles that define and shape human behaviour and action, which must be protected by the states for the overall wellbeing of their citizens. 

Over the years, the ideas of human rights have been enshrined in national and international laws, obliging the governments to fulfil the political, social, economic and cultural rights of the people. With numerous political movements launched to establish civil liberties and fundamental rights of the citizens such as right to express, walk or form associations without intimidation and threat to security, Nepal has long tradition of respecting and recognising human rights. The constitution promulgated in 2015 has incorporated at least 31 fundamental rights which seek to ensure freedom, dignity, prosperity and happiness of the people. As per the national charter, the country has created several laws, instruments and institutions to promote and protect the rights of those facing security, economic and cultural threats from the state and non-state elements. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is constitutional body entrusted with the task of defending those whose human rights have been infringed upon. Successive governments have expressed commitment to NHRC's integrity and autonomy.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has expressed Nepal's commitment to protecting human rights, stating that human rights are integral to democracy and rule of law, and all should work to promote and protect human rights  through work. Speaking at a function organised by NHRC to mark the occasion, PM Deuba also pledged to promptly deliver justice to conflict victims and their families. NHRC chair Tapa Bahadur Magar said that the agenda of delivering justice to the armed conflict victims has become uncertain due to reluctance in framing respective laws in line with the verdict of the Supreme Court, NHRC's recommendations and international standards, which seek to make the transitional justice mechanisms powerful, according to a news report of this daily. NHRC chief also took a swipe at political parties for fielding those candidates implicated in criminal offence and human rights violations in the elections.

It is not only the conflict victims but also those victimised by gender-based violence and caste-based discrimination need justice and compensation. It is a matter of satisfaction that Nepal has made progress in the field of human rights, with all three-tier of governments enacting and implementing human rights-friendly laws and policies. In the fiscal year 2021/22, the constitutional body investigated 503 cases and made decisions on 414 of them while declaring five persons as rights violators and making six policy-level recommendations. The government has supported to fully implement its 15.3 per cent recommendations but its 39.2 per cent recommendations have been implemented partially only while 45.5 per cent have not been implemented at all. The government, the political parties, media and civil society should embrace and promote the principles of human rights and support the NHRC in implementing its recommendations.