Demand to utilize Single Women Security Fund

Kathmandu, July 2: Women rights activists have demanded utilization of the Single Women Security Fund that was established to protect and promote the welfare of single women in the country.

At a discussion organized by the National Women Commission (NWC) on the concerns of single women, the women rights defenders voiced for immediate implementing of the Fund.

NWC Chairperson Kamala Kumari Parajuli reaffirmed the commitment of the Commission to address the agendas and concerns of single women.

According to her, the Commission organized single women-oriented programmes in all seven provinces in the current fiscal year and vigilantly monitored the situation of single women in those provinces as well.

 Similarly, Lily Thapa, member of the National Human Rights Commission, lamented that single women, whose population account for seven percent of the total population in the country, were facing difficulties since the money in the Fund was far from utilization for around five years.

She rued that four Ministers for Women, Children and Senior Citizens were appointed in the last five years yet the Fund remained nearly frozen.

She further frowned that the fund worth Rs 60 million has been frozen while single women continue to suffer due to lack of social security coverage.

Thapa asserted that the Ministry of Women, Children, Senior Citizens should immediately pay attention towards utilizing the fund.

During the discussion, Kabita Pandey presented a working paper shedding light on the situation of single women in the country.

According to her presentation, there are very good legislations in favor of single women but all of them were far from implementations.

“It is imperative to pile pressure on the government to implement such policies programmes as well as legislations,” she underlined.