Lisha Dangol Maharjan
In terms of social justice, one bitter reality of today’s age is the persistent lack of gender equality, despite the reformation in laws and policies. Through my research, I tried to shed light on property rights of women in Nepal as provisioned in the Nepalese law. Particularly, my research focused on provisions of the Civil Code, 2074 and the Constitution of Nepal, 2072. The Civil Code, 2074 came into force on 17 August, 2018 bringing major reforms in the Nepalese legal system. The enforcement of the Civil Code was considered a major milestone for all citizens and legal experts in Nepal. More specifically, it came as a ray of hope for all those fighting against “discriminatory provisions” related to property rights of women. It stipulated that daughters will be entitled to their share of both parental and conjugal property. The objective behind my research was to highlight the barriers that women of Nepal face during legal procedures. With the help of case studies of four women, and doctrinal research conducted over some literature, some major barriers that hindered women’s access to property rights were illustrated. Both social and institutional barriers make it difficult for women to go through administrative and court proceedings. I have always been motivated to do something and create an impact on the matters that directly affect the society. Gender injustice is one of the serious disparities in our society even if there are reformed laws in place. Lack of implementation of these laws is one of the reasons why women in today’s society cannot freely exercise their property rights, along with other rights guaranteed by Nepalese law and the constitution. When I got an opportunity from Daayitwa to research on this topic and provide recommendation, I knew that this is something that I had always wanted to do. Three months of fellowship has been life changing with lots of realization. I admit that I had some misconceptions about the employees at government agencies but after three months of working in one such organisation, I can say that I was wrong. I can say that this fellowship changed my perspective towards government and its officials. I met with many youths working for government in this journey. Their passion, dedication and hard work made me believe in government itself. These three months, for me, have been eye opening and if I am accorded with any opportunity to work with government again, I would be privileged to take it.