Kathmandu, November 19
A group of young men in Kathmandu on Tuesday celebrated the International Men’s Day, raising concerns over frequent incidents of violence against women and expressing their solidarity with the fight against VAW.
On the occasion, the youth activists and students staged a rally in Lalitpur, showing banners and placards with messages about the issue. The rally converged into a corner meeting at a local college, during which the speakers talked about why men should be engaged in the fight against VAW.
Writer Sanjeev Uprety said the traditional masculine gender roles had kept the men also in trouble, hence they should speak against patriarchal values. Likewise, journalist Tanka Panta said youth should take initiatives to change the society.
A youth-led NGO, Hami DajuVai, had led the celebration.
The organisation’s president Sanjog Thakuri said his organisation was celebrating the day in Nepal since last year. He said ‘My solidarity to end violence against women’ was chosen as this year’s theme for the day considering recent cases of violence reported in the media and the government’s announcement of marking the year 2076 BS as the year of the campaign against VAW.
