Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara removed the resolution motion registered by 29 lawmakers to prepare curriculum against violence against women and rape from the schedule on request of Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli.
The motion proposed by Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) lawmaker Binda Pandey and supported by 28 others including those from the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) was registered in the House of Representatives (HoR) on July 5. It was scheduled in the probable list for July 16.
The minister concerned must answer once the resolution motion is tabled in the parliament. Minister for Women and Children Tham Maya Thapa had left for the parliament to give answers. But she was asked to return back mid-way.
Lawmaker Pandey expressed surprise at why the motion was prevented from being tabled in the parliament. "I asked Speaker Mahara yesterday why the motion has not been tabled. He laughed," Pandey told Setopati. "The motion is now in the speaker's court. He has to answer why it has been stopped."
Speaker Mahara did not respond to Setopati's queries while Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbamphe said she does not know about the matter.
The resolution motion mentioned that the parliament must direct the government to immediately compensate the victims of violence, rape and exploitation, conduct public awareness campaigns at the local and federal levels, and include the issues of social justice in school curriculum.
A source at the parliament told Setopati that the motion was stopped by the parliamentary business committee from being tabled on request of PM Oli. The business committee includes speaker, and chief whips of all parties in the parliament.
A CPN leader close to Oli said the motion has been stopped as it was brought without even informing the PM and parliamentary party leader. "Our parliamentary party leader is the PM. He did not even know about the motion," the leader stated. "It has been stopped after PM said that resolution against violence against women and rape is included in the constitution, the government is also working to ensure that, and it need not be passed from the parliament," the leader added.
Articles 38 and 39 about the fundamental rights in the constitution mention that no woman or child will be subjected to any kind of physical, mental, sexual, psychological or other forms of violence.
The government must implement the resolution motion after it is passed.
Lawmaker Pandey had talked with rape victims including children and women before bringing the motion. "The government gives daily allowance to the rapists even after they are jailed. They are safe inside the prison. The police send the victims to shelters of different NGOs. They asked should the government not do anything for the victims. I brought the resolution motion after that," Pandey added.
