Nepal Disabled Women Association (NDWA) has reviewed the act of rights of persons with disabilities from a feminist lens and organized an interaction program with parliamentarians and stakeholders to draw their attention to the missing concerns in the act on 27 November 2023.

37 participants including 9 parliamentarians participated in the interaction program organized on the occasion of 16 days of activism of violence against women.

Speaking at an interaction program organized in collaboration with UNDP, the various parliamentarians promised to raise their voice in the parliament for the reform and amendment of the laws made for persons with disabilities.

 Parliamentarian Kamala Panta said that she will raise issues in the parliament for legal reforms and amendments. She added that some decisions for persons with disabilities can be made immediately by the cabinet. An arrangement for helpers for persons with disabilities and employment in various private and government agencies of the state can be made through the decision of the Council of Ministers, and joint initiatives can be taken immediately.

Parliamentarian Prakash Pantha said that the maximum time of the disability rights movement was spent on writing and documenting the rights but this is high time to concentrate the movement for the implementation of the written rights. He committed to continue raising his voice for the implementation as he is in the place of policy making but not in the place of implementation.

 Parliamentarian Bhagwati Neupane promised that there is a lot of diversity within the disability therefore, laws must address this diversity during the amendment.  She claims that she is sensitive to all diversity, and she will play a role and pressurize to amend and implement the act.

Bina Lama shared her experience while working in a community where many cases of sexual and other violence against women with disabilities and others are suppressed within the community and hostile. So first of all, it is necessary to empower those women and their families.

In the interaction, consultant Manish Prasai presented the reviewed Act on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (ARPD), 2074.

He shared that the incidents of violence against women with disabilities have been increasing it shows every week one case of violence against women with disabilities. He also stressed that the law should accept the fact that there is a diversity among women with disabilities and they are victims of multiple discrimination.

He said that the Disability Rights Act is very lax as the provisions made by the Act are not binding. He said that the Disability Rights Act has provided for the rights of persons with disabilities, but it has not been directed.

The law talks about accessibility for people with disabilities, but what is necessary to make it accessible is not specified, which is mentioned in the International Convention on the Rights of Disabilities CRPD.

A representative from the different OPDs raised their voice in interaction that there are many lacking in ARPD  and it has to be reformed or amended.