TECSES Supports Girls’ Rights at the Karnali Daughters Conference

TECSES participated in the Second Karnali Daughters Conference (2083), which was successfully held in Birendranagar on 30-31 May. The conference concluded with the adoption of the 10-point Karnali Declaration, reaffirming a strong commitment to promoting the rights, dignity, and opportunities of girls across Karnali Province.

Organized by the Shree Jyoti Foundation in coordination with the Ministry of Social Development of Karnali Province, and supported by partners including UNICEF, NGOs, businesses, and TECSES, the two-day conference brought together girls from all 79 local governments of Karnali. Participants also included girls from marginalized and endangered communities. The event provided a platform for girls from across the province to share their experiences, perspectives, and aspirations.

The conference extensively discussed pressing issues affecting daughters, including:

• Gender and caste-based discrimination
• Violence against women and domestic abuse
• Child marriage
• Menstrual hygiene and Chhaupadi practices
• Barriers in education and health, particularly in remote districts like Dolpa

Through district-level dialogues under “Daughters’ Thoughts”, participants emphasized that societal attitudes toward daughters have not yet significantly transformed, and many structural inequalities persist.

A major concern raised was that 33% of women in Karnali remain illiterate, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated interventions. Speakers, including policymakers, administrators, and women leaders, highlighted the importance of inclusive governance and women’s participation in decision-making processes.

TECSES Inclusive Education Expert Liisa Metsola highlighted in her presentation that inclusive education is a fundamental human right and key to empowering girls and marginalized learners. Her presentation also underscored that equity in education, supported by strong policies and inclusive practices, leads to more confident, capable individuals and stronger societies.

The 10-Point Karnali Declaration

The declaration calls for:

1. Ending child marriage, gender discrimination, and harmful traditional practices
2. Ensuring dignified menstruation and eliminating Chhaupadi
3. Providing menstrual hygiene facilities in schools and communities
4. Expanding and strengthening scholarships for daughters’ higher education
5. Developing inclusive and quality school infrastructure
6. Addressing technology-related violence against women
7. Promoting adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health education
8. Rebuilding earthquake-affected schools and ensuring continuity of learning
9. Encouraging daughters’ participation in sports and extracurricular activities
10. Ensuring implementation of commitments made in the first edition of the conference

Inclusive development is not possible without the decisive participation of women

The conference clearly highlighted that systemic change requires collective responsibility. Participants called on federal, provincial, and local governments to take concrete actions and ensure accountability in implementing the declaration.

The Karnali Daughters Conference continues to be a powerful platform for amplifying voices, promoting inclusion, and shaping a more equitable future for daughters in Karnali. The challenge now lies in translating these commitments into sustained actions and measurable outcomes.

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TECSES is a teacher education project in Nepal, supported by Finland and the European Union. We work to improve schools through teacher training and inclusion at the federal, provincial, and local levels of government, and Nepali universities.