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Feminist and Queer Charter of Demands in

Response to COVID-19 in Nepal

We, the undersigned organizations committed to feminist and queer

principles and human rights of women (both cisgender and transgender),

transmen, non-binary, third gender individuals, people with intersex

variations and people of diverse sexual orientation, call on the

Government of Nepal to recall and act in accordance with human rights

standards in their response to COVID-19. We ask the Government of

Nepal to uphold the principles of equality and non-discrimination,

foregrounding the needs and interests of the most marginalized people -

women, children, elderly people, people with disabilities, people of the

queer diversity, sex workers, those in the informal economy- refugees,

migrants, indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities, people who don’t

speak/understand Nepali language and people without their identity

documents. It is critical that the COVID-19 response does not

exacerbate their vulnerabilities or magnify existing inequalities. We have

identified the following areas of focus to be considered in the context of

the COVID-19 crisis.

Glossary

1. Women (महिला) - The term women refers to all people who identify as

women. It includes transgender women and intersex women as well.

2. Sex characteristics (यौन हिशेषता) - Physical and anatomical traits (sex

organs, reproductive systems, sex chromosomes and hormones) of a

human being that are indicative of their sex.

3. Gender identity (लैहिक पहिचान) - Individual’s internal sense of their

own gender; Individual’s deeply felt sense of being man, woman, both,

neither or mixture.

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4. Sexual orientation (यौन अभिमखुिकरण) - Individual’s sexual identity

based on which gender they are sexually and romantically attracted to.

5. Intersex (अन्तभलििी) - Individuals born with any of several variations in

sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones or

genitals that do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies.

Intersex is a sex characteristic, intersex people can identify as man,

woman or non-binary. Intersex people can have all wide ranges of gender

identities and sexual orientation.

6. Sex assigned at birth (जन्मदँा यौनािको आधारमा इहित भलिंग) - When an

individual is assigned as male or female based on their genitila visible at

birth.

7. Cisgender (त्याचभलिी) - People whose sex assigned at birth aligns with

their gender identity; cismen are men who were assigned male at birth

and ciswomen are women who were assigned female at birth. Cisgender

is term to replaces ‘non-transgender’ or ‘gender our society accepts’ or

‘what our society classifies as normal gender’. Lack of the term cisgender

means people who had gender identity apart from what our society

considered as normal would be abnormalized and othered. Therefore

having a term to refer to what society considers as ‘normal gender’

contributes to normalizing gender identities beyond them.

8. Transgender (पारभलिी) - People whose sex assigned at birth does not

align or is different from their gender identity; Transwomen / women of

trans experience are women who were assigned male at birth; Transmen

/ men of trans experience are men who were assigned female at birth.

9. Non-binary (गरै-द्वयसािंखिक) - Individuals who do not identify in the

binary of male or female, is a spectrum of gender identities that are

outside the gender binary. There are many gender identities under the

non-binary umbrella such as agender (people who do not identify with

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any gender), bigender (people who identify both as man and woman),

gender non-conforming, gender fluid, genderblender, demigender, etc.

10. Third gender (तेस्रोभलिी) - People who do not identify as man or

woman, identify as neither man nor woman, based on traditional South

Asian Hindu cultures. There are hundreds of third gender communities

across South Asia such as hijra, metti, kothi, pavaiya, mangalamukhi,

kinnar, maugiyah, etc. They have their own distinct cultures, lifestyles,

rituals and sometimes a different dialect as well.

Please note that third gender is not an umbrella term to refer all non-cisgender

identities. There is a misconception that the word third gender means transgender, or

it refers to LGBTI people, which isn’t correct. The ‘third gender’ term is highly

challenged by the youth generation questioning who is the first and who is the second

pointing the discriminatory and hierarchal nature of the word. Moreover, the third

gender communities follow a distinct lifestyle based on their traditional community

norms, which is not relevant to many non-cisgender people in this era.

11. Heterosexual / Straight (हिषमयौभनक) - People who are sexually and

romantically attracted to persons of a different gender.

12. Homosexual - Gay/Lesbian (समयौभनक) - People who are sexually

and romantically attracted to persons of the same gender.

13. Bisexual (द्वद्वयौभनक) - People who are sexually and romantically attracted

to persons of the same and a different gender.

14. Pansexual (सिियौभनक) - People who are sexually and romantically

attracted to persons of all genders.

15. Asexual (अयौभनक) - People who are not sexually and romantically

attracted to anyone.

While heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual and asexual are terms

prominently used in terms of sexual orientation, it isn’t limited to only those terms.

The language and identities around sexual orientation is evolving and emerging.

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16. Queer (क्ियेर) - an umbrella term that denotes the spectrum of identities

of people who have intersex sex characteristics, whose gender identity

does not align with their sex assigned at birth (who aren’t cisgender)

and/or people who aren’t attracted to people of opposite gender (who

aren’t heterosexual). It is a replacement of the abbreviation LGBTI,

because the phrase LGBTI is limiting and excludes many identities such

as non-binary, gender non-conforming, pansexual, asexual, etc.

Moreover the phrase LGBTI creates another rigid boxing system and

therefore is an outdated language.

17. PoMSOGIESEC - People of Marginalized Sexual Orientation, Gender

Identity and Sex Characteristics (भसमान्कृत यौन अभिमखुिकरण, लैहिक

पहिचान र प्रस्ततुीकरण तथा यौन हिशेषताका व्यखििरू) - A broader term

synonymous to the ‘queer umbrella’.

18. Gender and Sexual Minorities (लैहिक तथा यौभनक अल्पसङ्ख्यक) -

Another alternative to refer the ‘queer umbrella’, recorded in the

constitution of Nepal.

However, there are various critiques in the use of this phrase. No one knows the

population of queer people and declaring them as minority is dismissive. The focus on

‘numbers’ ignores fluidity and diversity of this population. The word ‘sexual

minorities’ actually refer to ‘practices differ from the majority of the surrounding society’

which includes sex workers, people practicing BDSM and various kinks and fetishes,

polyamorous practices, swinging. While all forms of sexual practices are equally valid,

the term ‘sexual minorities’ is ambiguous and fails to address particularly people of

diverse sexual orientations beyond heterosexuality. Sexuality is broad and covers a

wide range of experiences and expressions related to sex and eroctica, while sexual

orientation specifically means people’s identity based on what gender(s) they are

sexually and romantically attracted to. BDSM, kinks, fetishes, polyamory, swinging,

etc. under the ‘sexual minorities’ umbrella are practised by people of all sexual

orientations. The term ‘sexual minorities’ is also discriminatory because in many parts

of the world where relationships between people of different races isn’t a common

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practice, inter-racial relationships are also labeled as ‘sexual minorities’. Also, adults

in relationships with an age disparity have also been labeled as ‘sexual minorities’.

With such subjective language, in some societies, heterosexual couples having anal sex

could also fall as ‘sexual minorities’ if anal sex is a taboo and not a mainstream

practice. On one hand sexual minorities are broad covering all sorts of sexual practices

that aren’t considered to be ‘mainstream’ in practice and it is not specific to referring

sexual orientations beyond heterosexuality, and on the other hand it is discriminatory

to label any sexual practice as “other” and “minority” just because not practiced in

the mainstream society. Similarly ‘gender minorities’ over-simplifies gender diversity.

Such as the binary transgender population transmen and transwomen do not identify

beyond the gender binary. But there is a misconception that being transgender is a

completely different gender apart from male and female. This language further enables

such social misconceptions.

Click here to learn internationally accepted definitions in Nepali

language.

What we demand from the State

1. Ensure access to timely, accurate and regular information in

multiple languages

Ensure equal access to information, public health education and resources

in multiple languages (Bhojpuri, Mathili, Tamang, Nepal Bhasa, Tharu

etc.), including sign languages and languages of indigenous people and

ethnic minorities, in accessible formats, and in an easy-to-read language

that is simple and easy to understand for a layperson too. This must be

conveyed using traditional and non- traditional mediums as many

women (both cisgender and transgender), transmen, non-binary, third

gender individuals, people with intersex variations and people of diverse

sexual orientation and excluded groups lack access to mass media.

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Concepts such as quarantine, social / physical distancing, sanitizer, self-

isolation and segregation need to be simplified and explained using

illustrations, videos and audio (for people with visual disability and

people who cannot read. At the same time, it is important that social

inequalities based on gender identity, sexual orientation and sex

characteristics, caste, ethnicity, disability, language, class, culture etc., are

not reinforced through such messages. Information on the Ministry of

Health hotline (1115) must be clearly conveyed.

2. Recognize specific needs of women healthcare workers

Women constitute 54 per cent of the workers in the health and social sectors

in Nepal and are on the frontlines of the response. Out of the women in

Nepal’s health and social sector, two thirds are in informal employment.1

Women healthcare workers have called attention to their specific needs

beyond personal protective equipment, including to meet menstrual

hygiene needs. Psychosocial support should be provided to frontline

responders.

3. Increase access to COVID-19 testing

The Government should expand testing, especially with the possibility of

community transmission. Even with existing capacity, the Government

needs to ensure that those who are the most vulnerable are able to get

tested if suspected of having coronavirus. The cost of testing should be

borne by the Government, whether done in Government hospitals or

private laboratories.

4. Ensure access to water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter services

1 Government of Nepal, National Planning Commission, Central Bureau of Statistics, with ILO (2019) ‘Report on the Nepal Labour Force Survey 2017/18

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In Nepal, not everyone has access to clean running water, hygiene facilities

or shelter. The burden of ensuring water, sanitation and hygiene in

households and communities mostly fall on women. These include

people living in urban slums, lower income communities, and rural areas.

In this context, we need to recognize that hand-washing, social

distancing may not be possible for a large number of people. We

therefore urge the Government to put in place infrastructure for clean,

potable water to be delivered to underserved areas. Distribution of

hygiene packages with necessities including soap, disinfectants, and hand

sanitizer should be considered. Further public hand washing stations

should be installed in communities/ public spaces, and community

shelters created for those in need including the homeless. Existing

infrastructure such as schools, community centers can be repurposed.

5. Address the increasing care burden on women

Women have always been expected to take care of the domestic work in

households. The lockdown scenario has enabled the situation even more,

putting the sole burden of unpaid care and domestic work for women

including child and elderly care. The burden of unpaid domestic care

solely being placed on women has always impacted their overall

wellbeing. This lockdown situation has made it ever more visible. The

awareness campaigns and messages spread through it must include and

highlight that parenting, care responsibilities and household chores

should be shared among the family members and not put the sole burden

on women. There is a need for psycho-social support through helplines

to manage stress and support wellbeing.

This isn’t just a concern in cisgender heterosexual families. Heterosexual

transgender families also inhibit similar inequality between men and

women. Couples of the same gender might also not be practicing equal

share of household roles and responsibilities.

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6. Response to gender and sexuality based violence against

women/girls (both cis and trans), transmen, non-binary and third

gender individuals, people with intersex variations and people of

diverse sexual orientations

The lockdown context with mobility restrictions is confining families into

smaller spaces. People are confined into their homes and for many

people their homes might not be a safe space. People who experience

abuse, discrimination and violence from their own family members are

having a very difficult time during the lockdown. The toll-free helpline

No 1145 managed by the National Women’s Commission or helpline

No. 100 managed by the Nepal Police must function to support

victims/survivors of violence with counselling support. However, we are

unaware of any particular helplines or government mechanisms that

support transgender persons, non-binary and third gender individuals,

people with intersex variations and people of diverse sexual orientations.

There are no government bodies particularly designated to help the

PoMSOGIESEC population. Helplines, shelters and services for all

victims of domestic abuse should be considered as “essential services”.

The government needs to fund and hire people of the PoMSOGIESEC

and groups having multiple/intersectional identities to form a support

group mechanism to help those queer individuals and groups with

intersectional identities facing gender, disability, ethnic and sexuality

based violence at the place they’re living.

7. Response to the needs of people with disabilities.

All the awareness materials produced on COVID-19 should be

accessible to people with disabilities, such as accessibility of sign

language. Local/mother tongue, plain simple language with easy to read

versions for people with visual and/or hearing disability should be

ensured. Moreover the needs of underrepresented groups within people

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with disabilities like mental disability and neuro-divergence2 should be

addressed. Government must include organizations working for people

with disabilities in all mechanisms against COVID-19 so that their needs

and necessities aren’t missed. While involving people with disabilities,

gender, age, and ethnic diversity should also be addressed, otherwise

intersectional issues of women with disabilities, transgender and gender

diverse people with disabilities’ voices shall be missed out.

8. Expand social protection measures to reduce the impact on

women, queer people and excluded groups facing a loss of

livelihoods

In Nepal, a large percentage of women are a part of the informal economy,

in informal markets and agriculture. They are dependent on daily wages

and have limited or no access to savings. Many of the industries in the

formal economy directly affected by the lockdown such as aviation,

tourism, hospitality, small enterprises and industries, also employ

significant numbers of women. Women working in these sectors have

been forced to take unpaid leave or face the threat of losing their jobs.

We welcome the government’s directive to the tourism sector to pay

two-month salaries to their employees. We urge the government to

extend this directive to other sectors such as retail, manufacturing,

transport, aviation, hospitality and consider the creation of a dedicated

workers’ relief fund to finance this package in an effective and

transparent manner. Women of trans experience / transgender women

face both misogyny and transphobia in the society. Many of them are

denied equal access to opportunities, education and employment. Many

transgender women are involved in informal and entertainment sector or

sex work. These women have lost access to their source of income in the

lockdown.

2 https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/awareness/neurodiversity/

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Non-binary and third gender individuals, individuals with intersex

variations and those who do not conform to social norms of gender

already face discrimination and stigma and at such times of crisis are

prone to further marginalization. The transgender population (both

transmen and transwomen) face such kind of indifference from both the

state and society.

Many people living with their partners of same-gender have been forced

to move out, outed about their sexual orientation, and denied of equal

rights and access as heterosexual couples.

The Government should expand social security provisions to ensure that

women and people of diverse gender and excluded groups (including

female headed households, single women, young women, elderly

women, indigenous women, women with disabilities, women with

health issues) are protected, including through targeted support

packages, compensatory payments and cash-based transfers. The

government should expedite the distribution of benefits/support

packages.

9. Ensure food security of most vulnerable households, including

female headed households

In an extended period of lockdown, several households may not have access

to food and essential supplies. We welcome the Government’s move to support those who have suffered loss of wages through a “10% discount on rice, flour, dal, salt, sugar and oil supplies from Nepal food Corporation and Salt Trading Corporation”3.

We urge the Government to expand food aid to those in need, and not limit it to those who are able to procure an identity card from their ward offices. Further, we urge the government to expand special priority status to female headed households, single women, elderly women, indigenous

3 For details see: https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-covid-19-relief-package/

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women, people with disabilities, transgender people, non-binary and third gender individuals and people with intersex variations in addition to pregnant persons, orphans, or those with chronic illnesses; and consider other initiatives such as community kitchens, while maintaining social distance

Efforts should be made for supply of food/dry rations to households, where people are unable to leave their homes (e.g. people with disabilities living alone or in remote areas). The Government should also set systems in place for the direct procurement of food grains from farmers as well as increasing the number of items procured, as normal supply chains could very likely be disrupted due to the lockdown in the coming weeks. Businesses should be directed to ration non-perishable food supply to control inventory and increase access for those who, due to their income levels, must purchase over a longer period of time.

10. Ensure availability and access to health services including sexual

and reproductive health (SRHR), and ART to people living with

HIV

Evidence from past epidemics such as Zika and Ebola, indicate that efforts

to contain outbreaks often divert resources from routine health services

including pre and post-natal health care, contraceptives and safe

abortion, and exacerbate often already limited access to sexual and

reproductive health services.4 Efforts should be made to ensure

uninterrupted access to health facilities, including SRHR services.

Without such support, it is likely that maternal mortality rates would go

up. Direct all healthcare facilities to provide adequate health care services

to people regardless of health insurance status, immigration status.

Attention should also be paid to identifying the specific challenges faced by

women from excluded and vulnerable groups and communities and

groups having multiple and intersectional identities, such as Dalits, ethnic

4 https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/ipsrh/2020/04/estimates-potential-impact-covid-19-pandemic-sexual-and-reproductive-health

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and religious minorities, women, children, people with disabilities,

indigenous women with disabilities from rural areas in accessing health

services. Affirm the rights of migrant people and people without identity

documents to seek medical attention free from discrimination.

Government should also ensure access to ART for people living with HIV.

11. Extend additional support to women migrant workers

Due to the travel restrictions placed to contain the spread of COVID, many

migrant workers which include elderly women and women with young

children are not being able to re-enter the country, including on the road-

border with India. Essential services (food, water, shelter and hygiene)

should be provided to these groups on a priority basis, through the health

posts at the border. Further, women who work as domestic workers

abroad may not have access to information. There is a need for targeted

communication outreach to women migrant workers through the

diplomatic missions/embassies. These women, their children and

families should be prioritized while providing messages/support

packages.

12. Increased participation and representation of organizations led by

women, queer persons and people of marginalized and

intersectional groups in coordination mechanisms

The Government should leverage the capacities of women’s organizations

and organizations working on marginalized and intersectional issues.

Reaching out to enlist women’s groups and gender experts will help

ensure a more robust community response as their considerable

networks can be leveraged to disseminate and amplify social distancing

messaging. Further, representation of women’s organizations in key

government mechanisms for preparedness and response will be critical

to ensure that diverse perspectives are reflected in these processes.

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Information on the creation and use of Emergency/Contingency Funds

including the regional SAARC funds should be publicly available.

Similarly having queer-led organizations in the mechanisms will ensure that

the mechanisms being prepared are inclusive and addresses the need of

queer people.

It is important to ensure women and queer people’s leadership and

representation in response and recovery decision-making, at the local,

provincial and national level including in health leadership. In addition,

peace networks should be supported to engage communities on

questions of inequality to ensure that existing fault-lines are not

deepened leading to social unrest and conflict.

Work with local communities, particularly women’s groups, before, during,

and after public health emergencies to ensure continued trust, access,

and to provide the best possible services.

These coordination mechanisms should be inclusive from all aspects and

angles.

13. Ensure transgender people can access gender affirming health

care services during the lockdown and get access to services as well

as aid, without barrier of ID cards.

Lack of access to gender affirming health services for transgender persons

creates impact in their mental and social wellbeing. Lack of gender

affirming health services for a long time can cause mental distress on

transgender people. Moreover this also impacts on their social wellbeing

and acceptance, such as they could be outed as a trans person and they

could experience social stigma and violence from their body de-

transitioning. 5

5 https://transcare.ucsf.edu/guidelines/overview - Overview of gender-affirming treatments and procedures

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The government should ensure that transgender people can access gender

affirming health services in a safe way.

Nepal requires citizenship for almost every small work to get done, including

COVID-19 aid distribution campaigns. There is no provision for

transgender people in Nepal to get their citizenship with their gender

identity and preferred name, or in the case that they have a citizenship

that mentions their sex assigned at birth and not-preferred name, there

is no provision for their citizenship to be amended with their gender

identity and preferred name. Therefore, transgender people have

citizenship that shows the name and gender that does not match their

lived gender (your lived gender is male but your citizenship addresses

you as female and with a feminine name, your lived gender is female but

your citizenship addresses you as male and with a masculine name). This

causes practical barriers such as being forced to reveal that they’re

transgender, being addressed with incorrect language (such as you’re a

woman and want to be addressed as she/her as Miss/Madam but since

your citizenship lists you as male with a masculine name, you’ll face

humiliation by being referred to in an incorrect or abusive way), being

humiliated by calling their un-preferred name (when one’s preferred

gender is/self-identifies as male, but since their citizenship lists them as

female and with feminine name, they won’t be addressed with the

masculine name that you’ve given to yourself), being told that the

citizenship isn’t theirs (your lived gender does not match the gender in

your citizenship so people would feel that it isn’t your own citizenship),

etc. While the government of Nepal has brought “Others” gender

marker, it is incorrect and does not address the needs of transgender

people, such as transgender women who want to be addressed as Female

and transgender men want to be addressed as Male. Due to the provision

of “Others” gender, many transgender men and women have been

forced to carry this label of being neither man nor woman, while they

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identify as one. Similarly, the word “Others” is still disrespectful for non-

binary and third gender individuals.

The government should ensure that transgender people get access to

COVID-19 related services including aid distribution regardless of their

citizenship. There should be a provision in the forms where people can

also mention their lived gender and preferred name that their citizenship

might not reflect, and be addressed as that gender. In long term,

government should develop laws that address the needs of transgender

and gender diverse people and should look seriously into their demands.

There is a detailed report about these issues with recommendation and other

public announcements by Transgender Europe and Asia-Pacific

Transgender Network, they can be found here.

14. Ensure privacy and security of people infected with and suspected

of COVID-19

We can see over social media that name and personal information of people

infected with or suspected of COVID-19 has been outed in public. This

is a serious breach of individual privacy. It puts the safety and security of

an individual at risk. Those individuals will face further risk of social

stigma and being boycotted in the society, and further jeopardizes their

future. 6

The government should ensure that the personal details of people infected

and suspected of COVID-19 be protected and not revealed to the public.

The data relating to COVID-19 is highly sensitive and such data should

be depersonalized7 after the pandemic is over, and meanwhile still be

careful of data protection.

There should be a clear policy on data privacy and security ensuring that

everyone’s privacy and security is well respected.

6 https://bodyanddata.org/privacy-in-the-pandemic/ 7 Depersonalized data means the without any information through which individuals can be uniquely traced

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15. Collect disaggregated data and information to document the

support services and efforts provided to various excluded groups.

The government of Nepal should invest in knowledge generation and

research for future preparedness. Such research should also include lived

experiences of people with an intersectional approach to better

understand and document their specific needs and issues.

16. Health care services of COVID-19 should be free from all kinds of

discrimination and social stigma

There should not be any sort of discrimination and social stigma in health

care services of COVID-19. The government must be aware of the fact

that many marginalized groups have always been stigmatized at health

care service sector, such as transgender and gender diverse people,

people living with HIV, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, etc.

Such discriminatory behavior from health care providers and unfriendly

environment in the hospitals may definitely reflect in the times of

pandemic as well. Government must take all measures to prevent such

discrimination and stigma at health care service settings.

17. Ensure equitable access to education services during and after

COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the majority of education services have been

disrupted. We welcome the government’s directive to private schools

not to charge school fees for one month8. We urge the government to

extend this for the entire duration of the lockdown until schools reopen.

The government should also adapt educational delivery and ensure

8 For details see: https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-covid-19-relief-package/

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access to the equitable provision of distance learning, which should

incorporate socio-emotional learning, resilience and psychosocial

support for students, that are responsive to gender and disability. Since

COVID-19 school closures will disproportionately affect adolescent

girls9 and students of multiple marginalized identities and they will be

the least likely to return to schools when they reopen, we urge the

government to address gender specific barriers to access and completion

of schooling. We call on the government to provide accelerated

education opportunities and flexible approaches to support students

returning to school. Where teaching and learning may have moved to

online platforms, the government should take steps to safeguard

students’ data and information.

This charter is endorsed by the following organizations and

individuals:

A. Organizations and Networks

National level organizations and networks

1. Queer Youth Group, a not-for-profit that works to ensure rights of

queer people.

2. YoSHAN (Youth-led Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights

Advocacy Nepal)

3. Campaign For Change, the first and the only not-for-profit working

for intersex rights led/run by intersex people.

4. The Story Kitchen, an organization that provides a platform for

diverse women to share their stories, to listen to one another, to share

their stories, and to transform their lives through storytelling.

9 https://en.unesco.org/news/covid-19-school-closures-around-world-will-hit-girls-hardest

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5. Tewa, support such groups of women by funding their initiatives,

enhancing their capacities, and connecting them to other relevant

groups and national initiatives and processes.

6. Trans Rights Collective, a loose network of young transgender men

and women working as a support group and voicing issues of concerns

for binary transgender people.

7. ENBY Collective, a loose network of young non-binary individuals.

8. Blue Diamond Society, a non-government organization working for

LGBTI rights.

9. National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal

(NIDWAN), a non-government organization working on young

indigenous women with disabilities and intersectional identities.

10. Voices of Women Media, an organization that aims to build feminist

leadership and effect changes in society’s treatment of women in order

to create a just world without discrimination.

11. Youth Resource Network, a collective of youth researchers

primarily focuses on social issues.

12. Women for Human Rights Single Women Group (WHR), non-

governmental organization that fights for socio-cultural, economic and

political rights of single women of Nepal. WHR strives to create a just

and equitable society where there will be “no discrimination on the

basis of marital status”.

13. Gyanbodh Research and Development Services Pvt. Ltd

14. Nispakshya ( Alliance for Conflict Affected Women)

15. SAATHI, a non-governmental organization established in 1992 to

address the different forms of violence and discrimination faced by

Nepali women and girls.

16. Youth Development Center (YDC), believes and works for youth

participation in development.

17. Youth Advocacy Nepal (YAN), a social organization dedicated to

protecting and promoting the rights of young people.

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18. WOREC Nepal, a non-governmental organization working for the

protection and promotion of human rights and prevent violence

against women, its causes and consequences, and to ensure economic,

social and cultural well-being of women as well as other marginalized

groups by promoting their access to rights and social justice.

19. Prayatna Nepal, an organization that works for visually impaired

women.

20. Queer Federation (TheQF), an informal affiliation of organizations,

groups, loose networks and teams that work for rights of queer people

in Nepal, aspires to be a formally registered federation in coming years.

21. Queer Rights Collective (QRC), a loose affiliation and support

group of queer people.

22. Ujyalo Foundation, works to empower communities through

technologies, innovation, social enterprise, and gender inclusive

leadership, collaboratively locally and globally.

23. Yuwa, a not for profit, purely youth run and led organization working

to promote youth participation through empowerment and advocacy.

24. Pahichan Nepal, non-governmental organization committed to

empowering marginalized women with disabilities.

25. Nepal Disabled Women Association NDWA, supports women

with disabilities to pursue their rights, and provide them protection and

livelihood.

26. Body & Data, a movement that integrates feminism, Technology and

internet right, gender and sexuality based in Nepal envisioning to

creating free, open and just internet that respects autonomy of

individual and upholds their dignity.

International / Regional level organizations and networks

1. UN Women Nepal

20/21

2. Youth Voices Count, a regional organization working with young

LGBTIQ+ persons across the Asia – Pacific Region

3. Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN)

B. Individuals

1. Rukshana Kapali, Transgender Rights Activist

2. Manisha Dhakal, Blue Diamond Society

3. Pushpa Joshi, YoSHAN

4. Shreejana Bajracharya, YoSHAN

5. Jaya Luintel, Feminist Activitst/Journalist

6. Sunita Sharma, Feminist Activist

7. Biju Kandel, Feminist Activist

8. Bimala Das, Feminist Activist and Researcher

9. Sujata Dhungana, Activist and Journalist

10. Rita Thapa, Tewa

11. Esan Regmi, Intersex Rights Activist

12. Shristi Bhadel, Transgender Rights Activist

13. Samita Thapa, Lesbian Writer

14. Deepesh Shrestha, Non-binary Activist

15. Dikshya Khadgi, Feminist Activist

16. Pratima Gurung, Academic Activist

17. Indu Tuladhar, Himal Innovative Development and Research

Pvt. Ltd.

18. Swikriti Khatri, Bisexual Journalist

19. Suvam Chaudhari, Gay Rights Activist

20. Manoj Shivabhakti, Social Work Student

21. Reshma Thapa, Feminist Activist

22. Sumeera Shrestha, Feminist Activist

23. Nilu Thapa, Academician

24. Sahara Pradhan, Feminist, Researcher/Doctoral student

21/21

25. Neha Rayamajhi, Storyteller/ Feminist and Queer Rights

Activist

26. Lakshya Dhungana, Filmmaker, Feminist Activist

27. Tara Chamling Rai, Youth Activist

28. Sachi Poudyal, Lawyer

29. Astha Bhandari, Sociologist

30. Deepmala Maharjan, Visual artist, Co-founder of Studio18

31. Shubha Kayastha, Body & Data

32. Sanjita Timsina, Feminist, works at WOREC

33. Rusha Adhikari, Feminist and Child Rights Activist

34. Nirmal Kumar Upreti, Advocate (LLM Criminal Law and

Justice)

35. Shristi Kolakshypati, , Women Workers Rights Activist,

WOREC

36. Elawati KC, Women Human Rights Activist, WOREC

37. Binita Pandey, Advocate, WOREC

38. Bindu Sharma, Women Human Rights Activist, WOREC

39. Rajya Laxmi Gurung, Sociologist

40. Pranika Koyu, Human Rights Activist, Poet

41. Suraksha Magar, Pansexual Gender Non-conforming Activist

42. Laxmi Aryal, Women Human Rights Activist, WOREC

43. Bhawana Shrestha Ph.D. Scholar, Kathmandu University School

of Education Co-founder, My Emotions Matter

44. Rita Baramu, Body & Data

45. Kabita Bahing, Body & Data

The original charter was drafted by UN Women Nepal and shared in an

email list with various feminist and queer rights activists who worked

together to give this document a final outcome, and therefore was

endorsed. The process of putting the document together was facilitated

by Rukshana Kapali.