A three-day consultation workshop was successfully conducted in Hetauda, the capital of Bagmati Province, and Birendranagar, the capital of Karnali Province, with the objective of ensuring access to justice for women and girls with disabilities and identifying the challenges and barriers they face in the process of seeking justice.
On the first day of the workshop, in-depth interactions were held with judges from the High Court and District Court, representatives of the High Court Bar Association, Nepal Police, government-funded lawyers, and other stakeholders working in the justice sector. The discussions focused on the practical challenges faced by women and girls with disabilities during judicial processes, barriers to accessing services, and the support required to ensure their access to justice.
The second and third days focused on detailed discussions on existing legal and policy provisions, their implementation status, and the challenges encountered in making judicial processes more inclusive, accessible, and disability-friendly. Participants also identified challenges in the effective implementation of existing provisions and provided suggestions on possible measures to address them.
The discussions emphasized the need to facilitate access to judicial structures, information, and services for women and girls with disabilities; ensure reasonable accommodations and support services; and strengthen the capacity of judicial institutions and service providers.
The suggestions and challenges identified through the workshop are expected to provide an important basis for future advocacy and program development aimed at making access to justice for women and girls with disabilities more effective, inclusive, and rights-based.