Administration resources: Ministry

Ministry of Children Women and Social Welfare

Background

Ministry of Women and Social Welfare was established in September 1995 immediate after Beijing Conference. The ministry has been renamed as ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MWCSW) in October 2000. MWCSW is a focal ministry for the policy, panning, programming of overall development and coordination of all activities related to women, children and social welfare including senior citizens, orphans, helpless women and disabled and handicapped people.

MWCSW has 68 staff including secretary to junior staffs. It has two Divisions: Policy, Planning and Administration Division, and Women, Social Welfare and Child Development Division. It has 8 sections under these Divisions.

MWCSW has also Department of Women Development and women development office in 75 district having 748 staff. Social Welfare Council (an autonomous body governed by a separate Social Welfare Act),Women Skill Development Center and Central Child Welfare Board having more than 160 staff. It has a Central Child Welfare Committee under the chairpersonship of Minister/State Minister of MWCSW. MWCSW has outreach for development activities in districts level through Women Development office and District Child Welfare Committee. Looking at the pervasiveness of the problems of trafficking in women and children and their commercial sexual exploitation, the ministry has formed a National Level Coordination Committee in the center and District Level Task Forces in 26 prone districts to combat those problems. There is more than 1000 staff in all line agencies under the MWCSW. 75 District Women Development Office Incharges are directly responsible to reporting by Monthly, Quarterly, Half yearly and yearly report and conference basis.

Objectives

Main Goal :

To empower women on the basis of gender equality and bring them into mainstreaming of development.

Area of Responsibility :

As per business allocation rule of  Government of Nepal, the following activities fall under the area of responsibility of the ministry.

• Formulation and implementation of plans and policies concerning women, children and social welfare.
• Studies, research, survey, training, national and international seminars and conferences concerning women, children and social welfare.
• Coordination and liaison with national and international organizations concerning women, children and social welfare.
• Protection and promotion of orphans children, destitute women, aged, disabled and incapacitated persons
• Child welfare functions.
• Social Welfare Council.
• Women Skill Development Center.
• Social Welfare Centers.
• Bal Mandir (Children Welfare Centers)
• Coordination, management and national & international NGO and liaison of youth hostels
• Adoption related functions

Policies:

Mainstreaming

• Incorporate women''s concern and issues in the national and sectoral development policies and protect women''s right and authority through the enactment of necessary laws as per the need.
• Strengthen the institution capacity of Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare provide support to the existing women development cells in the sectoral ministries and help establish such cells in other relevant ministries.
• Increase the participation of women in the design of development policy and programmes in all levels.

Gender Equality

• Institutionalise gender sensitisation programme for the policy makers, planners and implementers from grass root to national level.
• Undertake measures to remove structural obstacles that hinder women''s participation in national development, reduce gender disparity and improve /reform legal and administrative policy if necessary.

Empowerment

• Assure women''s empowerment by enhancing the role of women in the policy formulation and decision - making at the national and sectoral levels.
• Undertake necessary administrative measures to institutionalise the women empowerment process.
• Protect women''s reproductive right .
• Assure women of their rights access and control over productive resources.
• Increase the access of women in the information, education and communication designed to reduce the workload of women and increasing their productivity.
• Promote the formal and non-formal education and make the formal education compulsory for increasing the literacy of women.
• Assure the access of women on institution al and alternative credit facilities for increasing the paid and self-employment opportunities.
• Help include women''s household labour as a productive activity giving due weights in the national accounts.

Senior citizens

• To make senior citizen capable enough and more respectable family based social security system will be developed. The family who is looking after the senior citizens will be provided facilities in public services.
• Senior citizens will be categorized according to economic status for monthly allowances.
• Geriatric wards will be established in all zonal Hospitals where senior citizens will be provided concessional heath care facility and efforts will be made for concessional in various Nursing Homes and private clinics. Mobile camps will be conducted for senior citizens.
• Old Age Homes will be established in all five development regions and NGOs and Private institutions will be encouraged to run such old age homes.
• The experience of senior citizens will be utilized in nation building.
• The senior citizen will be provided concessional facilities in entertainment and transport etc.
• For policy purpose senior citizens will be categorized in two groups as
• 65-75 age group are considered for participation in development programme,
• 75 and above will be grouped for security

Disabilities

• Amend laws and Rules to ensure simple and prestigious living of the disabled people with proper rights and welfare.
• Promote people''s awareness on prevention and security through communication media. Change the attitude towards disabled people and establish rights and equal opportunities for them.
• Conduct disability prevention programs (safe-motherhood, nutrition, to stop or minimize road traffic accidents etc) of disabled people with special needs.
• Update statistics and information concerning disabilities.
• Implement programs for free education to disabled people up to bachelor degree and launched special education program of disabled people with special needs.
• Arrange for free medical health service.
• Conduct sport , entertainment and extra- curricular activities.
• Emphasis on family based and community based rehabilitation.
• Activate government and Non- government agencies for rehabilitation and employment.

Child Development

• Preventive, promotional and curative services influencing child health from pregnancy until adolescence will be expanded and improved.
• To protect child rights, legal criteria for child labouring will be effectively enforced.
• Self -dependent programmes for education, health, housing etc. training will be expended to gradually eradicate hard child labouring and bonded child labouring.
• Programmes on child welfare rights will be conducted on the basis of community-based approach.
• Appropriate early childhood development programmes for small children will be conducted.
• Primary education will be made practically compulsory during the plan period and the number of children going pre-primary school will be increased qualitatively.
• Media of communication will be effectively mobilized for the activities of child welfare which contributes the upliftment of children''s mental and intellectual capacities .
• Institutional arrangement will be made for co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of the activities carried out by national and international non- governmental and other organization for the development of children rights and development.

Retrived from : http://www.mowcsw.gov.np/background-7-en.html, date 25 Jan 2011