The National Commission for Women (NCW) today organized a discussion program with the participation of the representatives of the concerned bodies in the concerned sector on the appropriate abolition of safe abortion service to make it adolescent and disability friendly. In the discussion program chaired by the Hon'ble Chairperson of the Commission, Mr. Kamal Kumari Parajuli, the participants had an in-depth discussion on the issues to be included in the Safe Abortion Service Program Management and Procedure Guideline being drafted by the Ministry of Health and Population with a view to making it adolescent and disability friendly. The discussion program was attended by the Honorable Chairperson and members of the Commission as well as senior representatives of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Health and Population, Department of Health Services, Nepal Family Planning Association, National Federation of the Handicapped Nepal, Nepal Association of Handicapped Women and Reproductive Health. There was an attendance.
In the discussion program, Dr. of Health Services Department, Family Welfare Division. Punya Poudel presented a working paper on the major legal and policy provisions of the Government of Nepal regarding safe abortion services as well as the main provisions of the Safe Abortion Services Program Management and Procedure Guideline, 2078, which is currently being formulated. Similarly, Mr. Sabin Shrestha, Executive Director of the Women's Law and Development Forum, presented a working paper on the main issues that should be included in the Safe Abortion Service Program Management and Procedure Guide to make it adolescent and disability friendly.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chairperson of the Commission, Hon'ble Kamal Kumari Parajuli, said that the discussion program in the presence of stakeholders would help in making the Safe Abortion Service Program Management and Procedure Manual and Adolescent and Disability Friendly. He said that it was organized. He said that unsafe abortion would seriously affect the health of adolescents and women with disabilities, adding that there was a need to raise awareness in this regard and make safe abortion services easily accessible to all. Hon'ble Member of the Commission, Shri Krishna Kumari Poudel Khatiwada, said that emphasis should be laid on raising awareness among the adolescents to prevent unsafe pregnancies and make the services more effective. Hon'ble Member Jaya Ghimire stressed on the need for the concerned bodies to include the issues raised by various stakeholders in today's discussion program as the implementation side would be effective if the government could include the issue of target group in any law, procedure and directive. Hon'ble Member Savitra Kumari Sharma said that many useful suggestions have been received from the discussions of the concerned bodies to make the safe abortion service adolescent and disability friendly and it is necessary to include it in the proposed guideline.
Mr. Meena Poudel, General Secretary of Nepal Disabled Women's Association, Mr. Nirmala Dhital, President of Federation of Women with Disabilities, Mr. Pramiz Thapa of Nepal Family Planning Association, Mr. K.P. Dr. Upadhyay, Country Director of IPAS Nepal Popular Gentlemen and Madhavi Bajracharya, Yoshan Chairperson Durga Sapkota, Women's Law and Development Forum's Navin Shrestha, National Federation of the Disabled Nepal's Vice Chairperson Rama Dhakal, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry Law Officer Manju Khadka and Health and Population Ministry Deputy Secretary Roshni Devi Karki and others had put forward their suggestions on various issues that should be included in the proposed guideline to make it adolescent and disability friendly. In the discussion program, the participants also suggested that the National Women's Commission should monitor the implementation of reproductive health and safe maternity services and make it more effective.
The program was moderated by Mr. Manoj Kumar Acharya, Secretary of the Moderation Commission and Mr. Anju Dhungana, Deputy Secretary of the Women's Development Coordination Branch of the Commission.