Title | Nepali widows’ access to legal entitlements: A human rights issue |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2016 |
Authors | Poon, PG, Houston, K, Shrestha, A, Rayamajhi, R, Thapa, L, Surkan, PJ |
Journal | Human Rights Quarterly |
Volume | 38 |
Pagination | 391-410 |
Type of Article | Article |
ISBN Number | 02750392 (ISSN) |
Keywords | human rights, legal system, Marriage, Nepal, patriarchy, property rights, social structure |
Abstract | Despite legal reforms, Nepali widows face barriers in exercising their property rights. This article provides a qualitative perspective on Nepali widows’ understanding of their rights and their ability to pursue legal entitlements due to widowhood. In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with seventy-six Nepali widows, four paralegals, and three key informants. They demonstrate that widows have limited success in exercising their property rights and seeking government benefits primarily because of a dominant patriarchal society, familial traditions, and bureaucratic restrictions. Nepali widows’ continued denial of property constitutes a human rights violation that Nepal’s new government should seek to redress. © 2016 by Johns Hopkins University Press. |