The Interim Constitution of Nepal guarantees basic fundamental rights such as the right to an attorney, the right to a fair trial, freedom from torture, and protection from illegal detention. Nepal has also ratified five international human rights treaties that prevail as national law. Despite this human rights framework, widespread abuse of basic rights continues.

The structural weakness of the criminal justice system means that human rights are not protected in Nepal. Reports of corruption, falsified documents, illegal arrests, and prolonged detentions are all too common. The poor are particularly susceptible to these abuses.

Once arrested, detainees face the prospect of further human rights violations while in custody. The accused often has to wait in crowded, unsanitary custody centers far removed from public scrutiny. Detainees go days and even weeks without bathing, and sometimes live off others' leftover food. Torture is regularly used to obtain forced confessions. Victims are kicked, beaten with various types of instruments and sometimes subject to electric shocks. Women too experience extraordinary problems, most cannot afford legal assistance and many are tortured, sexually abused and disowned by their families. Over sixty percent of all detainees are tortured, yet few speak up out of fear of retaliation from authorities.

Advocacy Forum (AF) is a leading non-profit, non-governmental organization working to promote the rule of law and uphold international human rights standards in Nepal. Established in 2001 by human rights lawyers, AF addresses cases of human rights violations while providing free legal assistance to victims of torture and others in need. We raise awareness of human rights violations through domestic and international channels, while constantly lobbying for legal reforms which will make the justice system in Nepal more efficient and accessible.

AF also plays a major role in alerting the international community to human rights violations occurring in Nepal. We report cases to the various UN mechanisms such as Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups. In a number of cases our urgent appeals for intervention have helped to save the lives of victims. We work closely with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists and the Asian Human Rights Commission. Our research and surveys are published and presented to national and international forums where we lobby and advocate for the reform of the justice system and the promotion of the rule of law and human rights in Nepal. We were one of the key organizations that sucessfully lobbied for the establishment of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal.