Attorney General Cites Lack of Social Awareness Hindering Implementation of Anti-Discrimination Laws

Kathmandu. Attorney General Dr. Narayan Prasad Candel has stated that although sufficient laws have been enacted, the laws against caste-based untouchability and discrimination have not been effectively implemented due to a lack of social awareness.

Speaking at a program organized by the National Dalit Commission in Lalitpur on Thursday, he expressed this view. Attorney General Candel expressed concern that even though 19 years have passed since laws were enacted in Nepal to consider caste-based untouchability and discrimination as offenses, there is no concrete assessment with the National Dalit Commission regarding its implementation status.

He mentioned that the regulations have made separate and special provisions to ensure victims' access to justice by considering caste discrimination as a 'specialized offense' compared to other ordinary crimes. Despite so many legal and structural arrangements, he concluded that the main reason for the lack of expected justice delivery is the lack of social awareness.

He said, 'In reality, we have plenty of laws. But those laws have not been effectively implemented. The reason for this is also felt to be, somewhere, a lack of social awareness. As I said earlier, it has been 19 years since laws were enacted in our country considering caste-based untouchability and discrimination as offenses. Even the Dalit Commission does not have a clear assessment of how much this law has been implemented in these 19 years.'

He further said, 'Furthermore, by considering this as a specialized offense rather than other crimes, the regulations have made separate arrangements to ensure justice for this community. For ordinary crimes, if a complaint is filed at the police station and its registration or implementation does not occur, only two remedies are suggested. One, a complaint can be filed at the District Public Prosecutor's Office, and the District Public Prosecutor's Office will correspond and direct the police to take necessary action. Another is that a complaint can also be sent via post. However, in the context of offenses considered crimes under this act, provisions have been made to file complaints with the Commission and also with local bodies, with the objective of making justice accessible to this community effective. But why is justice not flowing? The main reason for this is that not all communities are informed, and there is a lack of necessary social awareness in society. Social awareness needs to be developed in all communities.'

Attorney General Candel emphasized that for the successful implementation of legal provisions, all classes and communities of society must be informed, and social awareness must be enhanced.