20 February, 2014
Amnesty International has expressed its concern over widespread and systemic gender discrimination in Nepal that has led to hundreds of thousands of women suffering from a reproductive health condition that leaves them in great pain, unable to carry out daily tasks and often ostracized from their families and communities in a new report.
Amnesty International globally launched its report entitled ‘Unnecessary Burden: Gender discrimination and uterine prolapse in Nepal’ on 20 February 2014.
The report is based on field research that includes interviews with women, girls and men, women rights activists, medical experts and government officials, among others. The report is based on research conducted in Nepal in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and argues that the high prevalence of uterine prolapse in Nepal is a human rights issue; specifically it is a consequence of patterns of systemic gender-based discrimination.
“This is an urgent human rights issue. Widespread uterine prolapse in Nepal goes back to the ingrained discrimination against women and girls that successive governments have failed to tackle adequately,” said Madhu Malhotra, Director of Amnesty International’s Gender, Sexuality and Identity Programme.
Thousands of women are suffering needlessly in Nepal today. Governments have only taken steps to address the condition and not followed up with concrete action to reduce risk factor for women and girls.
“Nepal urgently needs a comprehensive plan to prevent uterine prolapse so fewer women and girls have to suffer through their condition. The existing policies on reproductive and maternal health do not address all the risk factors and are ineffective in addressing the underlying discrimination. Government efforts have mostly focused on providing surgery for late stage cases. And the limited approach has failed to do what is required,” said Malhotra.
The report states that discrimination also put women and girls at risk of domestic violence, including marital rape. In Nepal, the report was launched at a programme in Kathmandu by two survivors Reena Pokhrel from Dailekh district and Aruna Chaudhary from Saptari district.
Uterine prolapse is a global health problem, but particularly prevalent in countries like Nepal where gender discrimination is high and access to health care is limited. Nepali women develop the condition in their 20s. Uterine prolapse problem is rooted in discrimination and has severely limited the ability of women and girls to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive lives, AI said in its report.
It is also said that the government has not taken steps to tackle the problem. Malhotra added the government has focused mostly on providing surgery for late-stage prolapse cases.
The government started providing free surgeries to patients five years ago. Government data show 48,096 patients have been treated so far, with a majority operated. But AI said prevention should be the focus as much as the cure. Malhotra urged the government to eradicate the stigma associated with uterine prolapse. ‘
The most important preventive measure would be to recognize the uterine-prolapse problem as a human rights issue,’ she added. On the occasion, Rameshwar Nepal, Director of AI Nepal shed light on highlights of the report. Similarly, prominent women’s rights activist Dr. Renu Rajbhandari and Chairperson of AI Nepal Shambhu Thakur also expressed their views regarding the issue. Organisations working on the issue of maternal health, representatives of Nepal government and UN agencies and journalists participated in the panel discussion after the launch of the report.
Campaign on Gender Discrimination and Uterine Prolapse Begun.
Amnesty International has started a campaign calling on the Nepal government to publicly recognise Uterine Prolapse as a Human Rights issue. Amnesty International announced the launch of the campaign at the report launch programme on 20 February 2014 in Kathmandu.
Participants signed the petition, urging Prime Minister Sushil Koirala to take action to prevent Uterine Prolapse and Gender Discrimination. In the letter AI also urged the government to recognize that uterine prolapse in Nepal is a human rights issue that needs to be addressed.
Similarly, AI also urged the government to make a commitment that relevant Ministries will cooperate to establish, fund and implement effective policies and programmes to address issues of gender discrimination which underpins the risk factors for uterine prolapse.
Click here for full report in English