Getting citizenship certificate in Nepal is a notoriously long and laborious process. For children who do not have a father sponsoring them for the certificate, the process is out right torturous .
Law was amended to allow child of a Nepali mother to automatically get citizenship, regardless of the father’s status. Unfortunately, the amendment is still a paper tiger.
Now Human Rights Watch(HRW) is saying that a proposed Constitutional requirement will negate the citizenship law’s new provision and will require both parents to be citizens for a child to obtain citizenship.
No doubt this proposed requirement will place unnecessary hardship on single mothers, widows and orphans. They will be treated as lesser citizens, and the requirement will also go against the constitution which prohibits discrimination based on gender.
HRW is urging the Nepali government to drop the proposed amendment and broaden the citizenship provision.
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