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Kathmandu Sunday January 06, 2002 Paush 22, 2058.
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‘Regional
instrument’ to curb trafficking in women sought
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Jan 5:The Second South Asian
Peoples’ (SAP) Summit has urged the South Asian countries to form a "regional
instrument" to combat trafficking in women in the
region, said a press release issued here today.
The Summit has also demanded the South Asian
countries to take trafficking as a state responsibility and to look at it from a human
rights point of view.
"The countries lack a regional instrument
to curb trafficking," said Sapana Malla Pradhan, a senior advocate at the Forum for
Women, Law and Development. The SAARC is a positive step in creating a regional framework
to look at the problem, Pradhan added.
The Summit has also identified the existing law
insufficient to cope with the malady of women trafficking, said the release.
The South Asian countries have not been taking
the problem of trafficking as the responsibility of state, said Rita Thapa of
TEWA."It should be a major concern of the respective government ", Thapa added.
Lack of assertion of human rights, incidents of subjugation of women and the patriarchal
society have further deteriorated the situation of women trafficking, Thapa said.
Dr. James Mathews, who chaired the discussion
session of the Summit today, called the countries to look the trafficking problem from
human rights point of view.
Speaking at the same programme, Dr. James
Arpurharaj, Executive Director of SAP urged the countries of the regional grouping to
exchange their security challenges, and to honour their commitments made at different
international conventions. He also sought the South Asian countries ban the use of illegal
small arms.
"The South Asian governments should give
full mandate to the SAARC Secretariat to draft and response a legally binding instrument
to combat this threat," said Hemachandra Basappa, a delegate from India to the
Summit.
Advocate Sudeep Gautum, taking part in the
discussion, emphasised that the countries should amend their national laws on small arms.
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