National Human Rights Commission Submits Report on Squatters' Rights to Government

Lalitpur. The National Human Rights Commission has submitted a monitoring report to the Government of Nepal on the human rights situation of squatters living on the banks of various rivers and public land in the Kathmandu Valley.

The commission had prepared the report after conducting field monitoring on the impact on the economic, social, and cultural rights of the residents after the government removed houses and huts in the squatter settlements.

According to the commission's spokesperson and joint secretary Dr. Tikaram Pokharel, the report suggests the government regularly provide essential nutritious food and medicine to the displaced, especially pregnant women, new mothers, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and chronically ill individuals.

Similarly, the commission has urged to provide psychosocial counseling services to individuals kept in holding centers and to address gender-sensitive issues.

The monitoring report also emphasizes ensuring the right to quality education for displaced children, arranging employment for the displaced, and appropriately relocating structures of cultural significance, as stated in the commission's press release issued on Monday.

The commission has directed the government to prepare a realistic list of squatters living on riverbanks and government land and to manage them in the long term. 'The commission has presented various suggestions to the government to identify genuine squatters and immediately arrange for their proper settlement,' the press release stated.

The commission has also drawn the government's attention to be serious about protecting the human rights of squatters and to immediately implement the suggestions given in the report.