Need of legal and institutional reform has been stressed to implement the convention against Transnational Organized Crimes (the Palermo Convention). The Palermo protocol is about the prevention, suppression and punishment of trafficking in person, especially women and children.
The protocol was adopted by the UN in 2000. Nepal had adopted the protocol the same year. At the meeting of the Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights under the House of Representatives on Thursday, the stakeholders pointed out the need of amending laws relating to various ministries.
On the occasion, Executive Director at Forum for Women, Law and Development, advocate Sabin Sharma, presented his views that the laws relating to Home Ministry, Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs should be changed along with structural reform in order to effectively implement the protocol.
Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Poudyal, Secretary at Law Ministry Uday Raj Sapkota, Joint Secretary at Home Ministry Dharma Raj Kuinkel and others apprised the meeting of the ministry works on implementation of Palermo protocol.
The UN General Assembly had adopted the protocol in November 2000. So far, it has been signed by 176 countries.
Meanwhile, a subcommittee formed under the coordination of committee member Lal Bahadur Thapa to monitor the prisons in Surkhet, Mugu and Jumla presented its report in the meeting. The report mentioned that Surkhet jail was crowded, inmates deprived of drinking water and security persons failed to show up.
Similarly, for lack of prison in Mugu, the perpetrators were remanded to custody in Jumla. They were deprived of basic rights. Jumla prison also was in sorry state, the report added.
