The Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD) is an autonomous, non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was established in 1995 by Sapana Pradhan Malla with several other women, to eliminate discriminatory laws and implement CEDAW (the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women).

Since its inception FWLD has led the way in effectively using the legal system to fight violence and discrimination against women in Nepal. Some of their key accomplishments include: progressive changes in laws regarding marital rape, women’s right to inheritance, women’s reproductive rights and citizenship rights.
In recent years FWLD has broadened its mandate to also address the rights of disabled people, the elderly, children, sexual and gender minorities, indigenous people, and other marginalized populations.

In addition to advocacy, FWLD pioneers research on issues related to child marriage, HIV/AIDS, female sexuality, reproductive and sexual health and rights, sex trafficking, and sexual harassment. They provide legal aid and services to victims and have built the capacity of District Resource Groups across Nepal to handle cases of violence against women and children.

FWLD also trains potential lawyers, law practitioners, human-rights partners, teachers, police, media, NGOs, and rural citizens on subjects including CEDAW, paralegal skills, HIV/AIDS, sex and labor trafficking, legal awareness about violence against women, ways of empowering migrant women workers, the impact of national conflict on women, and strategies for using international constitutional mechanisms to advance women’s reproductive rights. Since its inception FWLD has responded to community needs in times of emergencies including the 2015 earthquake and COVID-19.

In their ongoing, tenacious efforts to change laws and transform social and cultural biases, FWLD, in Sapana Pradhan Malla’s words, “relentlessly works toward creating a just and equitable society.”