Kathmandu : Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has said the state is responsible for the respect and safety of the third gender.

Mentioning that the third gender is suffering social exclusion, he said, “They are suffering because of various compulsions and social neglect. More activities have taken place adding to their pain. We are responsible for their respect and safety.”

He made this statement in the meeting of the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee.

When it comes to the third gender, the way they are viewed in the society, the kind of contempt and oppression they are under, should be kept in mind, he said.

Home Minister Lamichhane said he took seriously the issue of humiliating the communities by making minor “wrongdoings” by third genders an issue.

“We tend to ignore some big incidents done by other friends, but the third gender friends are being insulted by making small “wrongdoings” done by them a big issue,” he said, “We take it seriously. It is the state’s responsibility to respect and protect them.”

He also mentioned that the state is serious about equal employments to the third gender.

Meanwhile, the sexual and gender minorities are under attack under various pretexts in Nepal. Notably, recently, a religious group, and former members of the National Human Rights Commission openly challenged same-sex marriage in Nepal. They referred to a same-sex marriage that took place according to the verdict of the Supreme Court.

Ill-treatment against the communities is being done through social media as well. Such attacks on the communities have challenged their rights and identity, said Sunil Babu Pant, Asia’s first openly gay former parliamentarian of Nepal.

Notably, Blue Diamond Society, a non-governmental organisation working for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment, and the promotion of human rights for the sexual and gender minorities, is found involving in activities that would defame “true” activists advocating the rights of the communities, for their vested interest, said Surendra Pandey, secretary of Mayako Pahichan Nepal, a non-profit organisation that advocates for the rights of the communities.

Maya Gurung and Pandey registered their same-sex marriage, leading Nepal to become the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in South Asia, and second in Asia behind Taiwan.