Bini Dahal

As human beings living in a dynamic setting known as the society, we are faced with a constant need to choose between what is right and wrong. And in a patriarchal society like ours, the choices become more chaotic, especially when it comes to women. But amidst many persistent challenges that women face, some of them are found changing and becoming more progressive than before.
The Department of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs has recently come up with an idea of limiting women's travel for work once again as many Nepali girls and women have been the victims of trafficking. They have been trafficked while travelling abroad in search of a job. The department proposed that women below 40 years are required permission from their family as well as the local authorities before travelling abroad. The proposition has ruffled feathers of many.
Many have opposed the idea because it may curtail women's human rights and freedom. They have considered it as a barricade that may deprive women of their right to free movement. Taking the public response into consideration, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a press statement saying the whole idea was just an idea. The ministry also stated that the rule was specific to women travelling to Gulf nations. But this clarification was not enough to put a stop to the issue.
A week before, hundreds of women compromising mostly social activists, writers and journalists gathered at the Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu to protest against this proposal. This was part of a “women’s march” to highlight the increasing number of rape cases across the country and violation of several other women's rights.
Anyway, the idea that the department has made the proposition regarding restriction to women's travel is an outcome of patriarchal thinking. This can be highly detrimental to developing nations like Nepal at a time when it is trying to move on the path of socio-economic development. It is surprising that the department seems to have taken such a serious issue very lightly.
One may get an impression that the relevant officials seem to be in a delusion that their proposition will reduce trafficking and other sexual assaults drastically. But this will not be the case. If the proposition becomes a law, many girls and women are sure to significantly lose their decision-making power. This is because everything will be decided by their family and the local authorities.
It is high time the government come up with better rules, regulations and alternatives to cope up with the issue of women’s safety. Also, the Department should work on making a more inclusive workforce that will take rational decisions when it comes to tackling such issues. To fight against trafficking and other abuses, the government and other concerned authorities should ensure a strong checking mechanism in the immigration area of the airport.
Likewise, when it comes to foreign countries, the embassy should be alert about trafficking issues and take immediate actions. They should also collaborate and ask for support from the foreign countries where influx of Nepali girls and women are quite high. Let us remember that preventing trafficking and other sexual assaults require a solid progressive mechanism that ensures safety and protection to the female gender and not a mechanism that will hide their voices!