Kathmandu : Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Bhumika Shrestha has said members of Nepal’s sexual and gender minority communities continue to face discrimination and exclusion despite constitutional guarantees of their rights.
Addressing the House of Representatives for the first time on Tuesday, Shrestha said constitutional rights have not been effectively implemented in practice.
“I come from a community where people face exclusion from birth and discrimination even in death,” she said. “Even a decade after the Constitution was promulgated, the rights of sexual and gender minorities remain largely confined to paper. It is unfortunate that the laws needed to implement these constitutional rights have still not been enacted.”
Shrestha said the community remains hopeful about the government and Parliament. She also welcomed the inclusion of community empowerment as a priority in upcoming government policies and programmes.
Shrestha is a transgender lawmaker representing the sexual and gender minority community.
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