One of the first forms of discrimination against women in Nepal began with the practice of Sati, which was eradicated by Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shamsher.
[2] Females face gender-based violence and this greatly limits their ability to attend school or receive proper education.
Although overall female participation in the workforce has increased, the majority of employed women are still heavily concentrated in the low-wage and more labor-intensive industries.
[7] Due to ongoing violence and discrimination against women, United Nation's recommendations of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review to Government of Nepal, March 2011 included guaranteeing full right to equality and non-discrimination between men and women in line with the international standards (with that of Italy)[8] Furthermore, CEDAW Committee's Concluding Observations and Recommendations to Government of Nepal, August 2011 included introducing monitoring mechanisms for better implementation of laws and plans pertaining to equality and development of gender disparity indicators.
According to the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2001, about 10% of all births are carried out in the presence of a qualified doctor or medical staff.
[4] On September 23, 2021, a group of 20-25 youth staged a protest in Kathmandu to pressure the government to remove or reduce the current tax on feminine hygiene products.
[14] In the Nepal Human Rights Yearbook 2012 by Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), a study of all 75 districts across the country returned results of 648 women as victims of violence in 2011.
In 2021, 2022 and 2023, Ruby Khan led a march from Nepalgunj to Kathmandu, followed by subsequent sit-in protests, to bring attention to the disappearance and murders of women in rural Banke District.
Likewise, results derived from INSEC's monitoring of the situation indicated that subjecting women to domestic violence was considered a deep-rooted traditional practice.
Complaints by women's rights activists are directed towards the lackadaisical efforts of the law enforcement agencies in which disputes are settled without any charges pressed against the perpetrators.
[citation needed] In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Human Rights Watch reported that social media groups are abusing Nepali women and girls online.
The rights group said that offenders are using intimate photos usually obtained from victims' social media accounts and also using hacking, coercion, or blackmail as a method.