NHRC, hobbled

Due to political meddling and lack of resources, the constitutional rights watchdog is losing its purpose.

Human rights in Nepal are under threat. Be it serious violations like extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances (during the decade-long Maoist rebellion) or gender inequality, caste-based discrimination and violations of civil rights, Nepalis have consistently suffered at the hands of violators as well as successive governments that have failed to protect their rights. Realising the need to uphold human rights, the National Human Rights Commission was established as an independent statutory body in 2000 and given the status of a constitutional body in the Interim Constitution of Nepal 2007 and the Constitution of Nepal 2015. However, political meddling has crippled this vital public institution over the years, rendering it ineffective.