The National Human Rights Commission has drawn the attention of international community, the government and agitating parties to aggravating humanitarian crisis due to disruption of the transit on the southern border.

In a six-page report released on Sunday, the national rights watchdog has called upon the international community to take “all necessary measures to end the humanitarian crisis that Nepal and its people are facing.”

The report has detailed the areas affected by the “disruption of supplies” on the border. The protracted protest in Tarai and “unofficial but very obvious obstruction on fuel and other goods at border points has already pushed the country to the brink of a massive humanitarian crisis,” said NHRC in the report.

The rights body has highlighted that short supply of fuel has directly affected day-to-day life of people and that it has infringed upon their education, health, mobility, food, social and economic rights among others.

“The situation is worsening by the day,” said NHRC Secretary Bed Prasad Bhattarai. “I am sure the international community has been observing the situation of Nepal, and we believe the international community also has a role to facilitate to bring the situation to normalcy.”

Nepal and India have ratified core human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) along with the UN Resolutions that express strong concern at the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, development, international relations, trade, investment and cooperation.

The rights body has sent the copies of the situation report to the concerned government agencies, protesting parties and international rights organisations, including Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions, International Coordinating Committee for National Human Rights Institutions (ICC), and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

NHRC has urged the government and agitating parties to resolve the issues through dialogue. “NHRC strongly recommends that there should be respect and strict adherence of principles of international law, the UN Charter, the declarations of the United Nations and world conferences and relevant resolutions, and to commit themselves to their obligations and responsibilities arising from relevant provisions of the international law and human rights instruments,” read the report.

The commission has urged the protesting parties to change the form of their protest by respecting civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the larger population and to resolve the problems through constructive and meaningful dialogue.