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The 16th conference of the World Social Forum is taking place in Nepal for the first time with the slogan 'Another world is possible'.

The organizing committee of the World Social Forum Nepal has organized a global announcement program about the event taking place in the open theater from February 15 to 19, 2024. 

On the occasion, an intercontinental youth forum and a parliamentary forum will be organized, said Sushil BK, coordinator of Media and Communication Group, the World Social Forum Nepal.

The forum is free and open for exchanging ideas and experiences on an alternative to neoliberalism. It started from Porte Alegre in Brazil in 2001 in the course of discussing an alternative to the impact of neoliberal globalization in the world two decades ago. 

The platform represents the collective power of the global movements and the civil society organizations that have united against neoliberalism, globalized capitalism, climate crisis, patriarchy, caste, discrimination based on color, racial discrimination and violence, discrimination and hatred against gender and sexual minority communities.

Non-governmental organizations including the NGO Federation of Nepal are coordinating the conference that runs parallelly.

Various 13 contemporary subjects have been selected for the session. The subjects to be discussed include: economic inequality and economic justice, labor, immigration, slavery and human trafficking; discrimination based on caste, work and descent, caste, ethnicity, indigenous nationalities, untouchability and all forms of discrimination, gender, sexuality, gender-based violence and identity, land, agriculture, food sovereignty, agricultural ecosystem, energy and natural resources;  peace, conflict, war, acquisition, displacement and security; education, art and culture, communication, social networks and media, digital equality; democracy, human rights, authoritarianism, law and justice; health, social protection and equality; climate, environment, equitable transformation, habitat and sustainable development; women, children, youth, the elderly and persons with disabilities and social movements, the place of citizens and the future of the world social platform.

Expressing their solidarity, representatives including Prof Aananda Kumar from India and Dr Uddhav Pyakurel from Nepal have extended their best wishes for the success of the event.

Dengue infection has shot up in Baglung district lately.

According to latest data, dengue infection has been confirmed in 130 people in the district. More than 90 people have been confirmed dengue infected in the last one month alone.

According to the data in the last four months ago, 130 people contracted the disease, said Prabin Sharma, Chief of the District Health Office. He also urged people to be alert as dengue infection is fast spreading in the district.

"Until a month ago, dengue infection was very low, only 40 people were infected. In the past month, only 90 people were infected, but now the number of infections has shot up to 130. Dhorpatan Municipality has recorded the highest infection cases. As the infection is fast spreading, there is a need to avoid mosquito bites," he said.  

The infection was confirmed in 96 people during the testing of suspected patients at Burtibang Primary Health Care Centre alone. Similarly, 15 dengue infections have been confirmed in Dhaulagiri hospital, 17 in Galkot municipal hospital and two in Bongadovan health post.

Of the ten municipalities in the district, dengue infection has been confirmed in nine except Bareng Rural Municipality, said the health office.

According to the data with the health office, Dhorpatan Municipality confirmed 67, Baglung Municipality eight, Jaimini Municipality two, Galkot Municipality 14, Kathekhola Rural Municipality three, Badigadh Rural Municipality 10, Nisikhola Rural Municipality 18, Tamankhola Rural Municipality four, Tarakhola Rural Municipality one.

The hospital has been overwhelmed with dengue patients.

A US national died after falling off a cliff in Manang, a mountainous district.

The deceased has been identified as Charles Keith Davis (69).

He was heading towards Chame from Lamjung in a jeep (Ba 6 Cha 756) on Wednesday night. He was together with his spouse, guide, driver and porter.

Davis suddenly fell from the road while he was trying to remove a rock from the road at Khotrodanda of Naso Rural Municipality-3 along the Beshisahar-Chame road section.

He fell some 100 meters down the road into the Marsyangdi River bank, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police, Phanindra Ranabhat.

A police team mobilized from the District Police Office, Chame rushed him to the District Hospital after rescuing him in the same night, but he breathed his last during the course of treatment.

The body has been sent to TU Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu for postmortem, police added.

From an early age, Bhumika Shrestha had a fascination with makeup and other traditionally “feminine” pursuits. She likes hanging out with girls and develops crushes on boys. 

For the most part of her adolescent life, she felt confused and guilty for having feminine emotions and the body of a boy. When she was in tenth grade, she was expelled from school for affirming her sexual identity. Though the incident prevented Bhumika from pursuing higher studies, it was a liberating experience. It was then she resolved to dedicate her life to help the queer community. 

Today, Shrestha, 35, is a proud trans woman and a prominent LGBTQIA+ activist. She now works as a project manager for Blue Diamond Society, an organization that works for the gender minority community. Under her leadership, she has improved the conditions of transgender community by advocating for citizenship rights, marriage equality, and job opportunities.

After joining the Blue Diamond Society, she learned about the harrowing experiences of queer  people, including abuse, family abandonment, and humiliation. Their suffering ignited within her a passion to take action on behalf of the trans community.

Bhumika considers herself lucky, as her family always supported her. But she couldn’t escape society’s judgments. “Back then, I used to hide in my room out of fear of how people would perceive me,” she says.

Currently, Bhumika collaborates with various government bodies, policymaking institutions, and law enforcement agencies to improve sexual health, human rights, and the well-being of gender minorities.  In 2007, she competed in a trans beauty pageant, winning the title of ‘Miss Pink.’ This gave her greater opportunities to advocate for the transgender community. 

However, she faced the absurdity of having to identify herself as male in her citizenship document, despite representing herself internationally as a trans woman. Back then, the citizenship certificate bore only two gender categories: male and female. 

“I was dressed up in a woman’s outfit, but I had to change and wear a Dhaka Topi as male for my citizenship photo,” she says. 

This experience urged Bhumika to launch a campaign in 2007 to change the outdated requirements imposed on Nepal’s citizenship law, and the Supreme Court ruled that individuals can be identified as ‘other gender’ on citizenship. 

Bhumika became the first Nepali trans woman to travel internationally with an ‘others’  identity in her citizenship document. Later, she updated her document from ‘others’ to ‘female.’

Nepal has made progress in recognizing non-binary communities and has legalized same-sex marriage, Bhumika is still critical of th gap between policy formulation and implementation.  For instance, the court’s order to register same-sex marriage has not been practically enforced. Then there is a bizarre requirement for medical evidence of identity to obtain citizenship as a transgender. 

“Such outdated expectations are stifling the true emotions and aspirations of LGBTIQA+ persons,” says Bhumika.

She shares  the heart-wrenching realities of her friends who suffered discrimination and abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic, leading some to tragically end their lives. The Blue Diamond Society was their only lifeline at the time. 

“The majority of our funding  comes from international donors such as USAID and UNDP. The government is not concerned at all,” says Bhumika. 

She expects the government to ensure equal opportunities and greater political representation for the queer community.

Over the years, the concept of gender in Nepal has expanded beyond homosexuality, there is still a long way to go when it comes to ensuring the rights of LGBTIQA+ community. Individuals like Bhumika and organizations like the Blue Diamond Society have been working tirelessly to ensure the rights and representation of queer community. 

For her unrelenting activism, Bhumika was honored with the ‘International Women of Courage Award’ by the United States Department of State. She was also listed in the ‘100 Most Influential People in Global Policy’ in 2019, and feted with a national award.

“Being a trans woman has given me courage and strength,” she says. 

For her the most difficult challenge is changing society's perception on how individuals are expected to behave in accordance with their biological gender roles. But she remains optimistic. 

“I really appreciate how the young people of today are more aware of the power of activism and how they are more accepting of gender minority communities,” says Bhumika. 

This shifting awareness and acceptance gives her hope that there is a better future for LGBTIQA+ community in Nepal.