Nepal quake impact on single women highlights need for equal land rights

By now, we are all aware of the devastating impact the 2015 earthquakes had on Nepal. What may not have been as comprehensively covered in the weeks and months that followed was the acute impact on women.

According to this article in Reuters, “Of the more than 900,000 homes damaged and destroyed, about a quarter belonged to female-headed households. More than 500,000 women and girls were displaced and about 2,000 women were widowed, according to official data.”

Photo: UN Women/Piyavit Thongsa-Ard

“The deep gender inequality in Nepal meant that women, and single women in particular, suffered most in the aftermath of the earthquakes,” said Lily Thapa, founder of Women for Human Rights (WHR), a group campaigning for single women’s rights with about 100,000 members.

“They could not make themselves heard and they received the least assistance, which left many vulnerable to abuse, trafficking and harassment,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Kathmandu.

While the 2015 constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender and established equal property rights, a deep-rooted patriarchy still denies these rights to women, and to single women in particular…

“Strengthening single women’s asset ownership is key to reducing their vulnerability to disasters and boosting their resilience,” Thapa said.

Read the full article here.