UN Nepal calls for action as 16-day of activism begins

Digital abuse and digital violence are among the fastest-growing threats to women’s rights worldwide. Studies show that up to half of women globally have faced some form of online harassment or abuse. For adolescent girls, it often begins as early as ages twelve to fourteen, at a time when their social and emotional development is increasingly unfolding online.

Today, the United Nations (UN) in Nepal kicked off the 16-day of 'Activism Against Gender-Based Violence' together with the Minister for Communication and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel, reaffirming Nepal’s commitment to making digital spaces safer for women and girls. This year’s global theme, 'Unite to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls', underscores the urgency of protecting young people in rapidly expanding digital spaces.

Speaking at the event, the Kharel emphasised the need of having safe, inclusive and empowering digital ecosystem for every Nepali citizen. He noted that, “digital safety is now central to civic participation, access to information and the full exercise of rights in Nepal’s evolving digital landscape.”

The event brought together government representatives, UN agencies, development partners, youth networks, civil society, private sector, and media under one clear message: 'Digital violence is real violence'. Online abuse, sexual extortion, non-consensual sharing of images and the spread of misogynistic content inflict real harm on the lives, dignity and autonomy of women and girls, according to a press note issued by the UN in Nepal.

Speaking on behalf of the UN in Nepal, Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer-Hamdy underscored that digital violence is not only an attack on the rights, dignity and autonomy of women and girls but a direct threat to their participation in public life.

She warned that online abuse is silencing women journalists, discouraging women leaders, and pushing girls away from digital spaces where their voices are urgently needed. "Protecting women and girls online therefore demands a whole-of-society effort to challenge harmful norms, strengthen accountability, and invest in systems that safeguard digital rights," she said, further highlighting the urgency of digital literacy and online safety education for adolescents - especially boys - to build resilience, transform attitudes, and promote respectful online behaviour.

The event featured a youth-designed mural symbolising collective commitment to reclaiming safe digital spaces, along with a fireside chat with influencers and digital rights experts on the rise of online abuse and the urgent need for stronger protections.

Young participants, on the occasion, shared their experiences of online harassment and the importance of being believed, supported and empowered to live a safe digital life. They asked better support systems for survivors, addressing impact of harmful content and building platforms that are safe for women and girls.

The UNiTE 2025 campaign runs until December 10, under the theme 'UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls' urging everyone to stand together against digital violence and uphold digital rights as fundamental human rights.

The campaign calls on parents, educators, policymakers and technology companies to take shared responsibility for creating online environments where all women and girls can learn, participate and thrive without fear.

Amnesty International Nepal launches Write for Rights 2019 campaign

Amnesty International Nepal (AI Nepal) today launched the Write for Rights 2019 campaign, Amnesty's annual letter-writing campaign, whereby supporters worldwide write letters for people whose rights are under threat or are being violated.
This year Amnesty International is throwing its might behind the children and young people who are fighting some of the world's biggest crises. Many have stepped in where adults have failed to lead and are facing terrible danger as a result.
Write for Rights 2019 will see Amnesty supporters stand in solidarity with young individuals from Belarus, Canada, China, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines and South Sudan.
Among others, Amnesty International Nepal is campaigning for Yasaman Aryani, a young Iranian activist, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for defying the country's forced veiling laws; Sarah Mardini and Sean Binder, two humanitarian workers, who were charged with 'people smuggling' by Greek authorities for participating in a rescue operation of refugees and are now facing up to 25 years in prison, and 17-year-old Magai Matiop Ngong of South Sudan, who was sentenced to death in November 2017 while still a child, in contravention of both South Sudanese law and international law.
Additionally, as part of its ‘Violence against Women’ campaign, Amnesty Nepal supporters will also collect petitions demanding the government implement the 2017 Supreme Court order on regulating sale of acid. The petitions will be delivered to home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa.
"Incidents of acid attacks, which mainly target young girls, have been on the rise in the country,” executive director of Amnesty International Nepal Nirajan Thapaliya said, adding that it's time for the government to take this issue seriously and regulating the sale and distribution of acids, which are currently easily available in the market can be a good first step.
The Write for Rights campaign this year will run from November 28 to December 20.
Every year, Amnesty International runs Write for Rights, a campaign that encourages supporters around the world to write messages of solidarity to people whose rights have been violated just because they dared to stand up against injustice. Supporters are also invited to write letters to the authorities on behalf of these courageous individuals.
Amnesty International's first Write for Rights campaign was launched in 2002. Since then, millions of actions have been taken by activists around the world. Every year, these actions lead to real change. In March, two ex-police officers were arrested for the killing of Brazilian politician and activist Marielle Franco who was gunned down in her car in 2018.  More than half a million people had written letters demanding justice for Franco as part of Amnesty's Write for Rights campaign.

International Women’s Day highlights innovative ways to advance gender equality

The United Nations system in Bangkok is marking International Women’s Day (IWD) today with a series of events to drive public attention and raise awareness of gender equality and the empowerment of women under the global theme 'Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change'.
Echoing the priority theme of the upcoming 63rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63), “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls”, the theme for International Women’s Day 2019 explores the ways in which innovation can work to boost investment in gender-responsive social systems, and build infrastructure and public services that meet the needs of women and girls.
"When we approach planning with an innovative, ‘think equal’ mindset that takes the needs of women and girls into account right from inception, it is remarkable how different those plans can look, whether it is urban planning that designs for commuter safety, rural day-care centres that offer workers positive solutions for childcare, or the use of biometrics as ID to replace formal registration documents that many women may not have or control,” said UN Women Regional Director Anna-Karin Jatfors. "We look to industry leaders, game-changing start-ups, social entrepreneurs, gender equality activists and women innovators to find the ways in which innovation can remove barriers and accelerate progress for gender equality.”
In this vein, during CSW63, UN Women will officially launch a Guidance Series on Integrating Gender into Infrastructure Development in Asia and the Pacific, developed in partnership with UNOPS. These Guides are the first of their kind and include case studies from across the region, analysis of cost effectiveness and social returns and checklists for stakeholders, operationalising how to think equal, build smart and innovate for change.
Starting off the regional commemoration on the morning of March 8, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and UN Women organized an interactive dialogue at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok featuring representatives from government, the diplomatic community, the UN system, civil society and women’s organisations, as well as innovators and social entrepreneurs. The dialogue showcased good practices and innovative solutions that help advance gender equality in Asia and the Pacific and discussed ways in which innovation can remove barriers and drive positive changes to accelerate progress for gender equality.
“Greater access to finance and ICT tools for business development are essential,” said UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana in her opening remarks. "Supporting scaled up investments for women entrepreneurs, including through initiatives such as the women fintech innovation fund we are working to set up, are important," she said, adding that we need both funding and technical support for companies to pilot innovative digital solutions which support women-led enterprises.
As part of the celebrations, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), UN Women and partner organisations will 'ring the bell' for gender equality to raise awareness of the pivotal role the private sector can play in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. At the event, CEO of Hong Kong at ANZ and convener of the group of women chief executives Ivy Au Yeung will share her insights regarding the true state of gender diversity in Hong Kong. In addition, Hong Kong CEO and Head of Intermediary Clients, Asia Pacific at Schroders Amy Cho will share her personal story about leading change with vital lessons on overcoming the inevitable roadblocks. She will also provide actionable tips on how to boldly defy convention, smartly embrace risks, and reinvent what is possible in one’s career path.
UN Women will also organise and support a series of events across the region:
In Nepal, UN Women will partner with UNFPA on a photo exhibition showcasing women in non-traditional jobs. The country office will also organise a panel discussion on women who have broken the glass ceiling, engaging youth networks, the government and media.
On 8 March, a women leaders’ forum will be organised in Myanmar in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, to showcase innovative solutions and provide recommendations for a road map to strengthen women’s access to economic autonomy and opportunity. 

Nepal lags behind in women economic empowerment

Nepali women lag behind in the South Asian region in terms of associations with outcomes related to their economic empowerment, according to a World Bank report.
According to ‘Women, Business and the Law 2019’ report published by the World Bank today, Nepal secured 53.13 points out of 100 in terms of eight different indicators analysing the economic empowerment of women against the global average of 75 points. Such eight indicators on the basis of which the World Bank has marked different countries are going places, starting a job, getting paid, getting married, having children, running a business, managing assets and getting a pension.
Nepal is ranked fifth in the 'Women, Business and Law' report of the World Bank among South Asian nations lagging behind Maldives, India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
Securing 73.75 points, Maldives stands at the top while India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka stand at second, third and fourth positions securing 71.25 points, 69.38 points and 65.63 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, six economies – Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden – hold scores of 100, meaning they give women and men equal legal rights in the measured areas.
The index – introduced in the Women, Business and the Law 2019 study – basically looks at milestones in a woman’s working life, from starting a job through to getting a pension, and legal protections associated with each of these stages.
South Asia had the biggest improvement in average regional score, rising to 58.36 from 50, and the highest percentage of reforming economies at 88 per cent. Six economies in South Asia reformed in the category of starting a job by introducing laws on workplace sexual harassment including India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Maldives banned sexual harassment at work and introduced accompanying civil remedies, introduced domestic violence legislation, introduced paid paternity leave and prohibited discrimination by creditors on basis of gender.
The data spans a 10-year period where 187 countries are scored according to eight indicators. "If women have equal opportunities to reach their full potential, the world would not only be fairer, it would be more prosperous as well,” World Bank Group interim president Kristalina Georgieva said, adding that change is happening, but not fast enough, and 2.7 billion women are still legally barred from having the same choice of jobs as men. It is paramount that we remove the barriers that hold women back, and with this report we aim to demonstrate that reforms are possible, and to accelerate change.