The Wire

Photo Essays

5 MIN READ

Women for women

Nepal Picture Library, November 18, 2018, Kathmandu

With the move towards grassroots organization and especially with the proliferation of civil society activities in the 1990s, the women’s movement in Nepal has grown leaps and bounds. The rise of women-led non-governmental organizations and advocacy forums raising issues of gender and women’s rights has critically transformed women’s lives across the country. Women’s groups have been been the main vehicle for issues of property rights, sexual violence, trafficking, economic empowerment, reproductive health, governance, representation, and political participation to gain ground. What we present here is merely a fraction of the immense archive of NGO and other civil society activities on gender issues.

Kavrepalanchowk | 1983

As one of the first officers of Women Development Division, Shanta Laxmi Shrestha meets local women of Kavre for the Production Credit for Rural Women Program. This program provided women access to credit with the vision that women’s economic empowerment will boost rural development.
Shanta Laxmi Shrestha Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Kavrepalanchowk | 1983

As one of the first officers of Women Development Division, Shanta Laxmi Shrestha meets local women of Kavre for the Production Credit for Rural Women Program. This program provided women access to credit with the vision that women’s economic empowerment will boost rural development.
Shanta Laxmi Shrestha Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Kavrepalanchowk | 1983

As one of the first officers of Women Development Division, Shanta Laxmi Shrestha meets local women of Kavre for the Production Credit for Rural Women Program. This program provided women access to credit with the vision that women’s economic empowerment will boost rural development.
Shanta Laxmi Shrestha Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Women's Security Pressure Group Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Kathmandu | 1984

A report written by Indira Shrestha on the cases of women in prison for abortion-related crimes.
Indira Shrestha Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Kathmandu | 1993

Members of Women’s Security Pressure Group take a rally. Chaired by Sahana Pradhan, the group started as a united forum of women activists, politicians, and professionals of all affiliations. It was founded in 1991 after the Home Minister of the newly established democratic government said that women should simply grow their nails and carry chilli powder when women activists petitioned him about the watershed case of a 11-year-old girl’s rape in Kathmandu. Seen in the photographs are Sahana Pradhan, Durga Ghimire, Astalaxmi Shakya, Savitri Jangam Thapa, and others.
Sushila Shrestha Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Kathmandu | 1996 Charimaya Tamang at Nawa Jyoti Kendra shelter home in Kathmandu. Tamang was one of the girls rescued from Mumbai’s red light district following a raid and placed in a remand home by the Indian Police where they were routinely mistreated. After being brought back to Nepal, she poses in her favorite tailored dresses that she had to go through hoops to get the Indian Embassy to retrieve from the brothel. Tamang says, “It wasn’t greed but something else that made me want to have them back. I had put together few sets of jewelry and other things while in Mumbai. They belonged to me.” Charimaya Tamang Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Charimaya Tamang after 1 week of rescue

Kathmandu | 1993

Members of Women’s Security Pressure Group take a rally. Chaired by Sahana Pradhan, the group started as a united forum of women activists, politicians, and professionals of all affiliations. It was founded in 1991 after the Home Minister of the newly established democratic government said that women should simply grow their nails and carry chilli powder when women activists petitioned him about the watershed case of a 11-year-old girl’s rape in Kathmandu. Seen in the photographs are Sahana Pradhan, Durga Ghimire, Astalaxmi Shakya, Savitri Jangam Thapa, and others.
Sushila Shrestha Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Women's Security Pressure Group Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Kapilvastu | 1995

Nepal Mahila Ekata Samaj joins a rally of landless people against an eviction drive initiated by the government, which was mobilizing elephants and military men to remove the squatter colonies in Terai. Nepal Mahila Ekata Samaj was an NGO set up to work specifically with landless and homeless women.
Nepal Mahila Ekta Samaj Collection/Nepal Picture Library

1995 c.| Kapilavastu. Bina Buddhacharya, active member of Nepal Mahila Ekta Samaj, attending a rally of sukumbasis (landless people) against an eviction drive initiated by the then democratically-elected government which was mobilising the military and elephants to burn and destroy the sukumbasis’ houses and farms in the southern tarai belt. Coming under the banner to unify campaigners working to recognize land rights and women’s rights, many organizations like the Nepal Mahila Ekta Samaj, worked to resist the government action which had negatively affected several thousands.

Nepal Mahila Ekta Samaj Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Women's Security Pressure Group Collection/ Nepal Picture Library

Kapilvastu | 1995

Nepal Mahila Ekata Samaj joins a rally of landless people against an eviction drive initiated by the government, which was mobilizing elephants and military men to remove the squatter colonies in Terai. Nepal Mahila Ekata Samaj was an NGO set up to work specifically with landless and homeless women.
Nepal Mahila Ekta Samaj Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Vienna | 1996

Usha Nepal represents Nepal at a United Nations summit on human trafficking.
Usha Nepal Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Mumbai | 1996

Activists meet with Mumbai Police to seek help in bringing back Nepali girls and women trafficked and sold into prostitution. In 1996, close to 200 Nepali women rescued and placed in Indian remand homes were brought back following the concerted efforts of activists like them. This action was done despite the heavy resistance from the government over the HIV pandemic.
Sushila Shrestha Collection/Nepal Picture Library

Sunsari | 2006

Women in Dharan attend a community awareness programme on employment and empowerment organized by Pourakhi Nepal, a member-based organization working on the rights of migrant women workers. Dharan is one of the largest remittance towns in Nepal.
Pourakhi Nepal Collection/Nepal Picture LibrarySunsari | 2006

Women in Dharan attend a community awareness programme on employment and empowerment organized by Pourakhi Nepal, a member-based organization working on the rights of migrant women workers. Dharan is one of the largest remittance towns in Nepal.
Pourakhi Nepal Collection/Nepal Picture Library

[Feature Image: Women’s Security Pressure Group Collection/Nepal Picture Library]

These images are part of the ongoing Feminist Memory Project, which were under exhibition during Photo Kathmandu.

:::

We welcome your comments. Please write to us at [email protected].

Nepal Picture Library Nepal Picture Library is a digital photo archive run by photo.circle that strives to create a broad and inclusive visual archive of Nepali social and cultural history, and has collected over 70,000 photos from various sources across Nepal.

Comments

Get the best of

the Record

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Perspectives

8 min read

Climate change as a driver of child marriage

Shuvam Rizal - February 15, 2022

There are strong links between economic stressors caused by climate change and child marriage around the world. A spattering of evidence suggests this is a serious problem in parts of Nepal as well.

Explainers

3 min read

Weakly enforced quarantine protocols spell trouble

The Record - March 27, 2020

Co-passengers on the flights taken by the latest Covid19 positive patients pose probable risk to public health safety due to the absence of strict quarantine measures imposed by TIA

Features

4 min read

Confusion, instead of closure

The Record - August 2, 2020

The latest court ruling in the Nirmala Panta case muddies the waters even more

COVID19

News

3 min read

Daily Covid19 Roundup, 1 April: Deal for Covid19 supplies annulled, border crisis reaches SC & foreign tourists return home

The Record - April 1, 2020

A daily summary of all Covid19 related developments that matter.

COVID19

4 min read

Daily wage workers at the end of their tether

The Record - April 6, 2020

Despite the government’s relief package, the poor and out-of-job in Kathmandu are not consoled

Features

4 min read

A parasite state

The Record - June 28, 2020

The government wants to make money off stranded Nepali workers desperate to return home

Perspectives

4 min read

The systemic silencing of stories of harassment

Kabita Bahing - September 3, 2021

Stories of abuse and harassment at educational institutions continue to emerge but there are few consequences for the perpetrators.

COVID19

News

3 min read

Daily Covid19 Roundup, 4 April: Calls for more lockdown with surge in Covid19 cases, Oli's gratitude & more evacuation

Record Nepal - April 4, 2020

A daily summary of all Covid19 related developments that matter