reconciliation for sustainable peace building annual report 2011

7/28/2019 Reconciliation For Sustainable Peace Building Annual Report 2011

1/47

Reconciliation:ForSustainablePeaceBuildingAnnual Report 2011

HimalayanHumanRightsMonitors(HimRights)Inar, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal

P.O. Box 4690, Kathmandu

Tel: +97715555111, 5521180

Fax: +97715554880

Email: [email protected]

Web: wwww.himrights.org


2/47

The country is in sixth year of peace process. In this period, many

remarkableprogresseswereseen.3902exchildsoldierswereverified

asminoranddischargedfromtheCantonments.Forrehabilitationand

reintegrationofdischargedminorsandotherconflictaffectedchildren,

MinistryofPeace andReconstruction cameupwith NationalPlanof

Actionon

Rehabilitation

and

Reintegration

of

Children

affected

by

armed conflict in 2010. Implementation of NPA is very crucial for

addressingtheissuesofCACandchallenginginthesametime.

Therearestillmanyconflictrelatedissuesthatneedtobeaddressedby

both conflicting parties. Several policies and provisions have been

promulgatedandvictimsarepartlyprovidedwithreliefpackages;and

justiceisstilldistantrealityformostofthem.Voicesofconflictaffected

childrenfrommarginalizedcommunitiesarestillunheardandtheyhave

verynominal access tojustice. Thus, it is very important to facilitate

theminaccesstojusticeandbringtheminreconciliationprocess.

WestartedReconciliationprogramwithconflictaffectedchildreninten

districts in2008. In2008program,participantssharedthatoneofthe

majorchallengewasdifficulties intheirreintegrationathome,schools

and society was being nonempathetic and unsupportive from their

families, friends, teachers and community people. Thus, in 2009,we

conducted reconciliationworkshopwith communitypeople, teachers,

and guardians for their effective reintegration. Furthermore, public

dialogueswere

also

conducted

in

those

districts.

Reconciliation

workshop helped community people, teachers and guardians to

internalizetheirroles inreintegrationofCACwhereas,publicdialogue

servedastheverybestplatformforCACtovoicetheirissuesandshare

their testimonies. It also made stakeholders accountable for past

violationsandensuringjusticetothevictims.

Based on the

achievementofprevious

years program, we felt

urgencytoexpandthese

programs in other

districts. This year, we

selected four new

districts, Makwanpur,

Bardiya, Kanchanpur

ExecutiveSummary


3/47

2

andIlamandimplementedreconciliationworkshop,publicdialogueandexhibitionofartworks

madebyCAC.

Weworkedwithmore than200CACwithdifferentexperiencesof conflict.Traumahealing,

developmentofpositive self imageandconfidencesare someof themajoroutcomesof the

reconciliationworkshops.

On

the

other

hand,

public

dialogues

were

able

to

bring

CAC

from

very

marginalized and excluded communitieswho are out of touch fromjustice process and to

facilitatetheirvoicetobeheardatlargerlevel,mainstreamedtheminjusticeprocess.

Similarly, artworks prepared by CACwere exhibited at district levelwhich served childrens

voicesandexperiencesatlargerpeople.Theseexhibitionshelpedtoincreaseempathytowards

CACwhichultimatelyhelpedincommunityreintegrationprocess.Theseartworkaredisplayed

at United Nations headquarter in New York byWatchList on Children and Armed Conflict.

Similarly,fewpoemsandpersonalstoriesaretranslatedinEnglishandprocesstobedisplayed

in

Peace

Museum,

Patan

Dhoka.

In addition to it,Mural painting program on Paris

principle on Children and armed conflict is also

carried out in Rautahat to sensitize on illegal

recruitmentandrerecruitmentofchildrenbyarmed

forcesandarmedgroupsespecially inTerai region.

The vivid graphic murals along with slogans were

centerofattentionofboth localsand travelersand

to sensitize of both literate as well as illiterate

people.

Furthermore,we produced a TV serial,ASMITA, against sexual violence and aired onNepal

Television.Theobjectiveistocreatemassiveawarenessandtoforwardthemessageonsexual

violence.Thisserialhighlightsthedailyharassmentofgirlsfacedonsexualviolenceaswellas

thepositive supportive roleof individual, teachers, communitypeople and lawenforcement

agencies toend suchpervasiveviolence.Weareable to take thismessage forwardatwider

levelaudience.Manyappreciatedthisserialandsuggestedtomaketheseepisodesavailablein

CDsandDVDs.Stakeholdersandpolicymakersrecommendedtoextendfewmoreepisodeson

differentaspects

of

sexual

violence.

Likewise, people watched this serial across the country; many said that in the increasing

scenarioof sexual violence this serial couldbe very important tool to address thisproblem.

Similarly,discussionsweredonewithlocalpeoplefromHumlaandJumlaregardingtheimpact

of the serial.People from thoseplaces said itwasvery important and shouldbe continued.

Furthermore,thechildrenwhoactedintheserialarealsofromveryremoteareasandthiswas

theirfirstexperience.


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3

We successfully conducted three different programs with conflict affected children in four

districtsasapartofcommunityreconciliation.Weareabletobringchildrenaffectedbyboth

sidesofconflict.Throughoutthewholeprocess,wehaveseenchildrenwithstrongfeelingof

revengetranscendingsuchfeelingintocompassionandforgiveness.

Inthis

context,

Iwould

like

to

extend

my

gratitude

to

all

the

children

from

4districts

for

trustingusineachprocessandsharingtheirstories,issuesandtimeinmakingthisinitiationa

hugesuccess.

I immensely appreciate UNICEF for their support. I would also like to thank UNICEF child

protection and communication department especially Karen Anderson, Radha Gurung,

BhawanaSubedi,EvanRaiandSanjuBhattaraifortheirsupportinthiswholeprocess.

I would like to expressmy heartfelt appreciation to all the district coordinators and focal

personswithout theirvigorand tirelesseffort reachingour targetparticipantswouldnotbe

possible.Similarly,

my

sincere

appreciation

goes

to

the

Resource

person,

Moderator,

PsychosocialCounselor,ArtistandRapporteur:RameshKumarPaudel,ShivaAdhikari,Prakash

Upadhaya,GitaSubedi,PadmaChanda,SukumayaSunar,RajanKhadka,PanchaRatnaDangol

andRajanMaharjan.Similarly,IamthankfultoentireteamofTVserial,MadhavPradhanfrom

PeoplesAudioVisual andEventManagement,actors, and technical teamaswell as Swapna

BatikaSchool.IamequallygratefultoNepalTelevisionforgivingtimetotelecastthisserial.

Once again I thank and applaud theparticipants,CDOs, LDOs, Policeofficers, Politicalparty

representatives, especiallyMaoist,NGOs,UNICEF partnerorganization and entireHimRights

teamfor

contributing

in

successful

completion

of

this

project.

AnjanaShakya

Chairperson


5/47

TableofContentsExecutiveSummary1Abbreviation4Background....6

Objective...8TargetGroups....8ProjectActivities.....9Findings...14Achievements..17Challenges....19

Recommendations..20Conclusion.21ProgramDistricts..22DistrictwiseProgram.23

Makwanpur...23Bardiya..27

Kanchanpur...31Ilam.35

Annex.39GlimpseoftheProgram...39MediaCoverage....45District

Focal

Persons

and

Local

Partner

Organizations....46


6/47

4

Abbreviation

CAAFAG:ChildrenAssociatedwithArmedForceandArmedGroup

CAC:ConflictAffectedChildren

CDO:ChiefDistrictOfficer

DAO:DistrictAdministrationOffice

DDC:DistrictDevelopmentCommittee

DEO:DistrictEducationOffice

IDP:InternallyDisplacedPeople

LDO:LocalDevelopmentOfficer

LPC:LocalPeaceCommittee

NHRC:NationalHumanRightsCommission

NA:NepaleseArmy

NPA:NationalPlanofAction

NGO:NongovernmentOrganization

PLA:PeoplesLiberationArmy

UCPN(M):UnifiedCommunistPartyofNepal(Maoists)

UNICEF:UnitedNationsChildrensFund

VDC:VillageDevelopmentCommittee


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6

BackgroundCountlesschildrenhavebeentraumatizedbygravehumanrightsviolationsduringtheconflictinNepal.

TheMaoists and the governing state at the time (andother armed groups)have tortured andoften

killed individualssuspectedofbeingassociatedwiththeiropposition infrontoftheirfamilies.Children

have witnessed their parents kidnapped at guns points, and in some cases, they have seen their

schoolteachers

mutilated,

hanged,

and/or

shot

in

the

school

premises.

Often

times,

children

have

been

directly tortured or killed. Many children were maimed or killed during intense crossfire or from

landminesandIEDexplosions.Moreover,theyhavebeenusedaschildsoldiersandevennow,theyare

beingrerecruitedbyarmedgroups.ThisisespeciallythecaseintheTarairegion.

As a result, conflictaffected children (CACs) are facing many problems, psychologically, physically,

emotionally, socially and economically. For instance, having been tortured themselves and/or seen

loved ones kidnapped and brutally tortured,many children overcamewith a need to retaliate and

avengethemselvesand/ortheirfamilymembers.Andaschildrenarefacingthetraumaofpastconflict,

giventhatarmedgroupsstillremain,morechildrenarebeingvictimizedorrevictimized.Therearenew

casesofabductions,mineexplosionrelatedkillingsandinjuries,torture,andimprisonments.Moreover,

CACs thatare strugglingwith the traumaofviolenceand/or thosewhoarestruggling to survivemay

willinglyjoin

various

armed

groups

hungry

to

recruit

more

new

members.

Inthistransitionalpostconflictperiod,stepstofacilitatethereconciliationprocessamongsttheconflict

victimsareabsolutelycriticalforsocialcohesionandlongtermpeacebuildingsothatviolencedoesnot

continue.Effortsto fostertrustand faithbetweenvictims frombothsidesoftheconflictingpartyare

necessary.Children canplayan important role in thisprocess,oneof themainobstacles for conflict

victimsinNepalhasbeentheabsenceofsafespacesforthemtosharetheirgrievancesanddiscusstheir

experiences during the conflict. This has implication not only for the rehabilitation of the individual

victimsbutalsoforstrategiesthatarebeingdevelopedforthecountryasawhole.Childrenvoiceshave

beenparticularabsentinanydiscussionsrelatedtotheconflict,andwhentheybeenincludedthefocus

has beenmainly on CAAFAG.Hence, less attention has been given to childrenwhowere victims of

violenceduring

the

conflict

and

this

project

aims

at

rectifying

the

current

approach

by

providing

children

affectedbyconflictwithaplatformtodiscusstheirexperiencesandtoputforwardtheirgrievancesand

demandsto relevantdecisionmakersthroughaprocesswhichensuresthattheyareempoweredasa

agent for change in their own lives and communities. CACsmust receive support and assistance to

overcometheplightsandtraumafromconflict.ThismethodologywillensurethatCACsbecomeagents

ofpeaceratherthanagentsofviolencearenecessary.

Adult family members, who are often victims themselves, do not necessarily take steps or are

empoweredtoensurethattheirchildrenareproperlysupported.Withoutunderstandingthatphysical,

emotional and social trauma can elicit eccentric behavior, community members often marginalize

eccentric CACs. Thus, unless the individuals that surround CACs have an understanding of the

difficultiesthey

face,

an

environment

that

is

sensitive,

empathetic

and

caring

towards

CAC

will

not

be

possible; this isamessage thatwasemphasized inourprogram lastyear.Oneparticipant,a teacher

shared,Thisworkshophasbeenverybeneficial forus,aswe realizedour role inCACsreintegration

andgotadeeperunderstandingoftheimpactsofconflictonchildren.

Aspecialgroupamong,CACsareexchildsoldierswhoareexperiencingdifficultiesintheirreintegration

with their family, schools, community and their country. Individuals and institutions often ignore,

stereotype, ostracize, and/ or marginalize and victimize children, thereby revictimizing CAC and

aggravatingpastwounds.


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7

Furthermore, during and post armed conflict situation, children were not only the group who are

seriouslyaffectedbyarmedconflict;anothersuchvulnerablegroupisthemanygirlsandyoungwomen

thatwerevictimsofrapeandsexualabuse.Womenwereaffectedinamajorwayduringtheprolonged

armedconflict initiatedbytheCommunistPartyofNepal(CPNM).Accordingto INSECYearbook2007

data,820womenwerekilledbythestateand193womenwerekilledbyMaoistsduringtheconflict.

However,manywhowereraped,sexuallyabusedandharasseddonotwanttospeakaboutitforfearof

losingsocialdignityandrespect intheirsociety. Inthisculture,womensandgirlschastityandsexual

faithfulness to theirhusband/family isof immense importance for familyhonor and repute. Inmost

cases, girls andwomenwho are sexually abused, harassed or raped are viewedwith contempt and

blamed.Asa result, there isacultureof silenceamongstvictimizedwomen. Theyhave tocarry the

burdenofpainfulsecrets,makingitdifficulttolivefulfillingliveswiththeirfamilymembers.Shame,self

contempt,andhatemayconsumegirlsaffectedbysexualviolence.Thistrauma,ifnotaddressedcould

betransmittedtotheirfuturegenerationtoo.

InUNICEFandHimRightseffortsonReconciliationWorkshop,therehasbeenfewparticipantswhowere

victimof sexualabuseand rape.Similarly, In theComicbook farewell to firearmsMay2005,Path to

ReconciliationAugust

2007

and

the

Reconciliation

workshop

for

conflict

affected

women

HimRights

workedwithvictimsofsexualviolence.Wehave initiatedvariousprogramstoensuretheirrightsand

empower them to voice their rights at various levels. In the initialphase, theparticipanthad strong

feelingtotakerevengeandcommittingsuicide.Theyfindhardtoparticipateandopenupbut later in

process,areabletoarticulatetheirexperiencesandtranscendtheirtraumaticandvengefulfeelingsand

developed positive self image. The entire process became a healing experience for them and felt

empowered to voice their issues and fight for the rights. They realizedmany women with similar

experiencelikethemselvesorevenworse,andwhowerenotabletovoicetheirexperiencesshouldget

rightstojustice.Theyfelttheyshouldhaveaplatformtovoicetheirissuesandtheirrightsensured.

In the international experience of post conflict countries, when the violence in public space ends

violencein

private

space

increases.

In

Nepal

although

there

are

no

systematic

documentation

on

sexual

violenceduring and inpost conflict situation.Recently, therehasbeenmore reportingofRape. It is

reportedthatinthefiscalyearof2065/66thereare466casesreportedundersexualabuseaccordingto

Nepal Police Women and Children Cell. Among them 68% cases are of child under 18 years:

(NayaPatrika,December25,2009)Thus, it iscrucial toensure thatgirlsandwomenaffectedbysexual basedviolenceareable tovoice

theirissuesandconcernsloudandclearwithdignity,respectandtheirrighttoprivacymaintained.They

shouldget supportive role fromevery individual,communityand lawenforcementagencies.Thus, to

ensure this, it is important to take this message forward to the wider people, to create massive

awareness.Oureffort issmallsteptowardsprovidingthemempatheticandsupportiveenvironmentin

thecommunityatlarge.


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8

Objective1) Protect andprevent against theunlawful recruitmentof children from armed groups and armed

forces.

2) Toempower conflictaffected childrenand youngwomen victimof sexualviolence to claim their

rights.

3) Develop

opportunities

to

promote

the

perspectives

of

children

and

young

girls

and

women

victim

of

sexualviolenceatpolicylevel.

4) Tobreakthesilencesurroundingsexualviolenceinthesocietyandcontributetoachangeinsocietal

attitudetowardsitsvictims.

5) Supportconflictaffectedchildrensempowerment tobecomeagentsofchange in theirown lives

andintheircommunity.

TargetGroups1) Children affected by armed conflict (e.g.,mine victims, "disqualified"minors, child soldiers, the

physicallychallenged,victimsofcommunalviolence,andtheinternallydisplaced)and

2) Girlsand

young

women

victims

of

sexual

violence;

sexually

abused/

raped

during

and

post

armed

conflictperiod.

3) Governmentstakeholders,Politicalparties,community,parents,teacherandschoolchildren.


10/47

9

Threemajor activitieshavebeen carriedout in2010.Workshopon SocialCohesion andPeace

Building, Public Dialogue and Exhibition of Artwork were conducted as Community

Reconciliation Initiatives in4districts;Makwanpur,Bardiya, Kanchanpur, and Ilam. Similarly,

another program Mural painting on Paris Principle on Children and Armed Conflict was

conductedin

Rautahat

district.

Likewise,

aTV

serial

against

sexual

violence

was

produced

and

aired throughNepalTelevision to create awarenessonwhat girls are facingdailyon Sexual

Violence.

1. WorkshoponSocialCohesionforPeaceBuildingthroughArtPromotingreconciliation,empoweringconflictaffectedchildren

Ineachdistrict,30Childrenwithdifferentexperiencesofarmedconflictwereselectedfor

the5day Workshopon SocialCohesionandPeaceBuilding.Theywerevictims fromboth

conflictingparties

including

ex

child

soldiers,

orphans,

victims

of

explosives/mines

(IED)

andchildrenfromfamiliesofkilled,disappearedanddisplaced.Throughouttheprogram,a

safe,respectfulanddignifiedplatformwasensuredtosharetheirexperiencesandbepart

ofhealingprocesswithmutualempathyandcompassion towardsboth sidesof conflict.

The participants received training on root causes and impact of armed conflict; vicious

revengecycleandmeansofreconciliation;andtransitionaljustice.Differenttoolslikerole

plays, group discussions, video documentary, sharing sessions and gameswere used to

ensureeffectiveparticipation.Thisparticipatoryapproachprovedtobethemosteffective

and livelytoolfor internalizingthecontents. Inthe last3days,theywereprovidedwith

training

on

various

forms

of

artwork

and

literature

to

express

their

experiences

of

armed

conflictandvoicesforpeace,reconciliationandjustice.Childrensperspectiveonconflict

andpeacebuildingwerebroughtintheformofartworkasdrawing,poem,song,personal

storyetc.

ProjectActivities


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10

2.AnexhibitionofartworkofCACcreatedintheWorkshopsOurVoicesandExperiences2010..

OurVoicesandExperiences,theexhibitionofartwork,songs,poemsandstoriesofCAC

createdduring

the

workshop

were

exhibited

for

two

days.

The

aim

of

the

exhibition

was

tosensitizestakeholdersandcommunitypeopletotheproblemsthatchildrenarefacing

due to thearmedconflictaswellas to take forward theirvoicesandaspirations for the

peaceandreconciliationtothelargeraudience.Theartworkpreparedbytheparticipants

in thedistrictandothersdistrictswereexhibited inplaceswhere localpeoplehaveeasy

access. This activity is also a follow up of OurVoices and Experiences 2008 and 2009

exhibition by CAC to sensitize and reemphasize the childrens realities and experiences

fromthe10differentdistricts.

Art became a powerful and center of attraction to raise the awareness among the

stakeholdersand

larger

community

including

both

literate

and

illiterate.

Furthermore,

artworksarticulatedvoicesandexperiencesofCACanditprovedtobeeffectiveapproach

tomakepeopleinternalizethecurrentsituationofCAC.Itundoubtedlyhelpedtocreatean

empatheticenvironmentaswellasreducetheirmarginalizationinthecommunity.Atthe

same time, comparative experiences and perspectives from other districts have been

sharedthroughthevarietyofartworkfromtheotherdistricts.

Stakeholders from government offices,journalists, schools, colleges, police offices, and

armyofficeswereinvitedintheexhibition.Manysharedthatthecommunityreconciliation

initiativethroughartworkapproachwaseffectiveandverynewinthedistrict.


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11

3.PublicDialoguebetweenstakeholdersandCACFacilitatingaccesstojustice,increasingredressofpastviolations

District

level

dialogue

program

was

conducted

to

share

voices

and

experiences

of

conflict

affectedchildrenwiththeconcernedGovernmentstakeholders.ItwasaplatformforCAC

tohaveadirectdialoguewithconcernedstakeholdersandsharetheirtestimonies.Ineach

ofthefourdistricts,50CACparticipatedinthedialogueprogramincluding30participants

ofreconciliationworkshops.Onedayorientationwasgiventothemontheissuesrelating

to armed conflict and its impact on their lives aswell as systematicway to raise their

concerns, issues and queries with relevant stakeholders. District level Government

stakeholderspresentonthePublicDialoguewereChiefDistrictOfficer,DistrictEducation

Officer, Local Development Officer, and representative from UCPNMaoist and District

ChildWelfare Board.Major CAC issues have been shared during the program and the

issues addressed after the program were: case registration, relief and compensation,

scholarshipsand

medical

support.

Furthermore,thesePublicDialogueswereprovedtobeafirsttimeexperienceformanyof

thedistrictstakeholderstorealizepresentstatusoftheCACthroughthedirectdialogue

with them. Moreover, it helped to make political parties more accountable. Many

participating children were able to touch the hearts of the stakeholders. Child

empowerment,compensation,accountabilityandchildparticipationintransitionaljustice

wereseenasmajoroutcomes.


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12

4.MuralPaintingProgramon ParisPrincipleonChildrenandArmedConflict

InTerai regions,newlyemerging armed groups areusing and recruitingCAC andother

childrenfortheiractivities.Therefore,there isneedforpreventivework intargetedarea

toprevent recruitmentof children in those groups.Oneof the important tools for this

work isawareness risingofParisPrinciplesonChildrenandArmedConflict.Thus,Mural

Painting program on Paris Principle on Children and Armed Conflictwas carried out in

Shree Janajyoti Higher Secondary School of Chandranigahapur, Rautahat. Nineteen

participantsincludingschoolstudentsandteachershaveparticipatedintheprogram.Two

daysorientationwasconductedonParisPrinciplewhichhelped them todevelopbetter

understanding. After orientation, Six different group were formed who developed

drawings and slogansbasedon the Principle. Theyjointlymade sevenbeautifulmurals

illustrating concepts of the Paris Principle on Children and Armed Conflict. They

continuouslypainted

for

3days.

The

Artist

just

assisted

them

on

color

combination

and

properuseof color. Ineachgroup, someof theparticipantsweregood indrawingand

some were good in writing slogans. The teamwork was very effective resulting into

beautifulmurals.During the program, therewas overwhelming number of visitors and

many shared that the painting is very effective and powerful to raise awareness on

unlawfuluseofchildreninarmedconflict.

Alltheschoolswallsandpublicplacesshouldbepaintedwithsucheducativemurals;it

isimportanttotakethisinitiationforwardasacampaign.AvisitorAt the end, a commitment paper has been jointly signed by the representative from

Students

Union,

teachers,

students

and

representative

of

HimRights

district

office

to

protecttheseMurals.


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13

5.TVSerialagainstSexualViolence

Televisionisoneeffectivewaytotakethemessageforwardatlargerlevel,sincemostpeople

dolike

to

watch

TV

serials.

Four

episodes

TV

serial,

ASMITA,

was

produced

and

aired

on

Nepal Television to take themessage forward, to create awareness and sensitize on the

issues of sexual violence. TheASMITA carries themeaning of social dignity/prestige. Few

renowned actor/actress, school students and socially conscious people were the main

charactersoftheserialwhichbecameeffectivetodelivermessages.Firsttwoepisodesofthe

serialdealtwithsexualabuseandharassment inschools likeeveteasing,sexualabusesby

teachers,andsendingnudephotosthroughMultimediaMessages(MMS).Thirdandfourth

episodeswereonRape.Thecontentsoftheserialweregatheredfromexperienceofyoung

girlparticipantsofSecondNationalGirlChildConsultation2010. Ithighlightedthe issuesof

sexualviolenceexperiencedbygirls,aswellas its impactsand implications in their future

development.Furthermore,

the

legal

provision,

message

to

socially

boycott

the

perpetrator

as well as the importance of positive support role of individual, community and law

enforcementtoensuretherightofthevictimwerewellpresentedintheserialtotakethese

messagesforwardatlargeraudience.

Ihopethisserialwillcreatemassivelevelawarenessonthesexualviolencesowouldlike

to suggest HimRights to extend more episodes on other different context of Sexual

Violence. DeputyChiefDistrictOfficerMakwanpurduringpretestofTVserial

ThisserialairedeveryFriday9:30 to10:00pm from9th

Septemberonwards;allFridaysof

September2011

(September

9,

16,

23

and

30,

2011).

This

time

was

selected

with

the

objectivetothatthewholefamilymemberscouldsittogetherandwatchtheserials.

ThisserialisfarbetterthanIndianTVserials.Itisveryinformativeandeducativeandthis

kindofserialshouldbepromoted.Aguardian


15/47

14

1. Lack of sustainable livelihood support for exchild soldier/CAAFAG: In theprogram,many of the participants were CAAFAG. They involved with conflicting parties at

differenttimesoftheconflictandworkedaschildsoldier,porter,spy,sentry,member

of medical team and cultural troupe. The government does not have any clear

provisions for reliefpackagesandcompensation toCAAFAGdue tosupposedneed to

keeptheiridentitiesconfidential.CAAFAGsareseekingsustainableeducationalsupport

and skills development training from the government. Currently, some of them are

beingsupportedbyNGOsandCBOswithsubstantiveeducationandtrainingpackages.

But,manyof them feel insecurewith this temporary supportpackages and they are

demanding for sustainable support from the Government. It is very important to

provide themwith livelihood support to empower to be able to get back to life. A

CAAFAG saidduring thePublicDialogueprogram, How long will NGOs support us? We

wantsustainablesupportfromtheGovernment.HeemphasizedthatGovernmentshould

bemore accountable to address issues of CAAFAG. District Education Officer (DEO)

responded,We

have

some

set

of

fund

for

the

education

support

but

it

is

remaining

unspent

becausenooneofCAAFAGsapproachesouroffice.

2. Childrenastheheadsofhousehold:Manychildren losttheirparents;theyareforcedtotakecareoftheirhouseholdwork

whichusedtobedealtbytheirparents.Theyhavetotakecareofalltheneedsoftheir

youngersiblingsandtheirgrandparentsatthesametime.Thishasledtohighdropout

fromschoolsthoughtheywereverygoodintheirstudies.

After my SLC I could not continue my higher education as I had to take care of my

grandparents and my younger brother; I could not leave them in helpless state. A

participantofworkshopshared

Likewise,many

of

the

participants

said

that

they

have

to

prioritize

their

household

work

forfamilyincomeratherthantheirstudy. AboyinKanchanpur,saidthathehasplough

hisfarmafterhelosthisfatherduringthearmedconflict.Furthermore,heshowedhis

youngpalmwithblistersduetooverworkinhisfarm.Childrenwithnofamilysupport

are highly vulnerable to trafficking, involve in worst form of child labor and sexual

exploitationaswellasinfluencethemtobeinvolvedincriminalactivities.

3. Problemsofdisappearancesremainedunheard:LargenumbersofcasesofdisappearanceswerefoundinBardiyaandKanchanpurinthe

comparison tootherdistricts.Mostof themwere forcefullydisappearedby theState

Security Forces.Manyof themhavenot received reliefpackagesdue to thepending

issueof

disappearances.

The district stakeholders were reluctant to make commitments on issues of

disappearances. The District Education Officer in Bardiya said; We have some

difficultiestomakeconcretedecisionoverthedisappearancecases,however,wewill

providescholarshipstothechildrenfromfamiliesofdisappeared.Theprocesswould

bebasedonprovisionsmadeontheDirectives.

Findings


16/47

15

Thequestionofresolvingdisappearancecaseshasremainedoneofthemostpending

issues in the peace process. Participants from families of disappeared demanded to

know truth behindwhereabouts of their loved ones rather than relief packages and

compensation.

Itisnotthematterofreliefandcompensation;wewanttoknowthetruthbehindthe

disappearanceof

our

members.

4. CAAFAGgirlfacingdifficultiesinfamilialandcommunityreintegrationbecauseofthesocialstigma:

The CAAFAG especially girls are facing more difficulties in the process of social

reintegration because of social stigma associated with them. They are not easily

accepted intheir familiesandcommunitiesmostofthetimes.Thecommunitypeople

havedevelopednegativedispositionabout theirstaywithmalecombatants that they

were sexually abused. A girl from Kanchanpur shared, After the verification, I waslabelled as disqualified. When I got back home, myfather blamed me and he scolded me

sayingthatIhavejoinedPLAasofmyinterestsothatIshouldnotcomebacktohome.She

added,Now,

Iam

living

with

my

aunt

in

Dhangadhi

instead

my

natal

family.

Thus, families being unsupportive and nonempathetic towards CAAFAG girls are

identifiedasamajorproblem inreintegrationprocess.Thus,specialmeasuresneedto

addresstheirproblems.

5. Justiceisdeniedforvictimsofsexualviolence:Manychildrenwerephysicallyandsexuallyabusedbybothconflictingpartiesduringthe

armedconflict.These issuesnevercametosurfacedueto fearof losingsocialdignity

and respect. They are still sufferingwith bitter experiences. A participant,whowas

sexuallyabused,wantedtoshareherexperiencesbutshecouldnot.Sheburstintotears

allthetimewhensherecalledherbitterexperiences.TheStatepolicydoesnothaveany

specificprovisions

to

ensure

justice

for

them.

Hundreds

of

such

cases

are

remained

unreported.Basedonour lobbying,wesharedthis issueofsexualviolence inUNCSW

session but theNepal Government representatives admitted that there are no such

casesofsexualviolenceduringarmedconflict.

6. Medicalsupporttovictimsofinjury:Manyvictimswhohaveundergonethroughmedicaltreatment inprivatehospitalsand

hospitalsabroad(especiallyIndia),havenotreceivedanyformofmedicalsupport.The

StatePolicydoesnotgrantthemwithmedicalexpenses. InKanchanpur,aminevictim

shared,IgotmedicaltreatmentinIndiabecauseofeasyaccessandsecurityreasonsofthen

conflict.IknowIamaconflictvictim,buttheGovernmentdoesnotrecognizemeasaconflict

victim.Ihave

not

received

reimbursement

for

medical

expenses.

Most

of

the

people

near

borderareashadgonetoIndianhospitalsformedicaltreatmentatthattime.

7. Cumbersomeprocess:Peoplefromruralareafind itverydifficultiestogothroughallthe lengthyprocessfor

reliefpackages.Manyofthemhavetocometodistrictheadquartersbearingexpensive

costs in travel, food and accommodation for application procedure. Some of the


17/47

16

participants fromremoteareasaidtheyhadtowalkformorethantwodaystoreach

districtheadquarters.AboyfromPhaparbariVDCofMakwanpursaid,

I do come to district offices following the commitments made by the officials,

expectingthatIwillreceivereliefpackagesontime;butittookalongtimetogetthe

reliefpackage.

Manychildren

from

remote

areas

suggested

that

the

applications

should

be

processed

fromVDCoffices.

8. Needoffamilialsupport:Childrenfrommarginalizedcommunitiesandethnicgroupsaresufferingmuch.Theyare

findingmanydifficulties toovercome traumaandpaindue to the lackof substantial

careandfamilysupport.Childrenwithnofamilysupportarestilllivingwithtraumaand

impactofconflict.

9. PsychosocialProblem:Largenumbersof children are still suffering frompsychosocialproblems.Theyare in

direneed

of

psychosocial

support.

Many

of

the

children

who

witnessed

dreadful

events

ofkilling,maiming,andtorturehavenightmareofthoseincidents.Aboywhohaveseen

dreadful incident of Gaurmassacre finds very difficult to share his experience and

showedveryabnormalexpressionwhilehewasrecallingthosedreadfulincident.


18/47

17

1. SharedreconciliationplatformforchildrenReconciliationworkshopswereable tobringvictims frombothconflictingparties ina

commonreconciliationplatform. Throughtheprocessofsharingexperiences,learning

about

root

causes

of

conflict,

structural

violence,

revenge

cycle,

reconciliation

and

getting opportunities to express their voices and concerns for peace andjustice,we

witnessed angry and forlorn participants transcended the need to take revenge and

transform into glowing, laughing, sharing their stories, and becoming friends and

empatheticwithvictimsfromopposingsides.

2. ArtasCathartic:The reconciliation workshop with these children was conducted through artwork

approach.Theyexpressedtheirexperience,sufferingsandperspectives inthe formof

drawing,poem,andpersonalstories.Everysessionoftheartbecameverycatharticand

helpedmanyof them release theirsufferings thathadbeensuppressed for long time

withinthem.

The

major

outcomes

were

trauma

healing,

development

of

positive

self

image and confidence, leadership building and empathetic to victims from opposing

sidesregardlessofconflictingparty.

3. DignityandRespecttoothers:Participants were from diverse communities including Madhesi, Dalit Brahmin and

indigenousJanajati.Despitehugedifferences,thissharedplatformwhichprovedtobea

dynamictocreatesocialharmony,processsenseofvictimhoodandempathy.Children

became empathetic to eachother, prioritized their problems and encouraged each

othertoraisetheirissuesduringpublicdialogueandreconciliationworkshops.

4. Understandingonrootcausesofconflict,viciousrevengecycle:Theworkshopsanditseverysessionbecameaproductivelearningplatformforconflict

affectedchildren.Manyofthemwereabletounderstandtherootcausesofconflictand

internalizeadverse impactofviciousrevengecycle.Theyrealizedthatrevenge isnota

solutionitperpetuatesavengeandkilling.AcombatantgirlfromIlamshared:

I have not been able to understand conflict although I have worked long time asa

child soldier. This workshop really helped me to understand the conflict and its root

causes.ThatswhatIrealizedattheendofthisprogram.

5. ReactivationofLocalPeaceCommittee:During all project activities,weworked closelywith Local Peace Committee (LPC) to

identifyCAC,facilitatedaccesstolegalandsocialjusticeforthevictimsandfosterpeace

buildingfromlocallevel.Insomedistricts,inactiveLPCswereactivatedascommittedin

thePublicDialogue.Thisinstitutionisverycrucialfortheconflictaffectedpeopleasall

theprocessinghastobedonethroughthis local institution. InBankeandMakwanpur

HimRightsisservingasanactivememberofLPC.

Achievements


19/47

18

6. StrengthenedcollaborationwithGovernmentoffices:Government stakeholders realized the effectiveness of the program. In some of the

districts,governmentofficerssharedavailabilityofreliefpackagestoconflictvictimsand

requestedHimRightstodisseminatetheirinformation.InMakwanpurDEOsentaletter

to HimRights branch office to circulate information on availability of scholarships to

conflictaffected

children.

7. BridgingRelationship:ThedirectdialoguebetweenCACandgovernmentstakeholdershelpedthemincreating

linkages with government stakeholders. It made them feel easy to approach

government authorities. As a result many children started to approach district

authorities from very next day of the program and ask authorities about their

commitmentforthem.

8. Facilitatingreparationprocess:PastexperiencesofHimRightsprovedtobeacredentialinfacilitatingconflictvictimsin

reparationprocess.After thepublicdialogue,HimRights issuedseveral referral letters

on behalf of conflict affected children for the evidence in district offices. HimRights

lifelinehasagoodworkingexperienceduringthearmedconflictandthereferralletter

helpedmanytoapproachreparationprocess.

9. Collaborating locally:HimRightsworkedcloselywith local levelorganisationsworkingwith conflictvictims,human rightsorganizations and conflict victim groups. Ithelped

bridging conflict victims with district stakeholder. It also strengthened collaborative

capacityof the localorganisations toaddress the issuesofarmedconflictandensure

sustainablepeacebuildingfromlocallevel.

10.Informedabouttheirrights:Mostoftheparticipantswereunawareabouttheirrightsand government provisions. In both workshops and public dialogue program we

conducted every session with due emphasis to inform them about the state legal

provisionsothattheycouldsharetheirtestimoniesbasedonthosepolicy.Formanyit

wasforthefirsttimetheyinformedwiththeirrights.

11.Artworksrecognizednationallyandinternationally:Theartworkscreatedbychildrenwerewidelyused innationaland international level

foradvocacyaswellastoportraychildrensvoicesandexperiencesatlargerlevel.This

gavemeaning to what happened in last decade and stakeholders to see war from

childrens lens and address their issues. Some of the artworks were displayed by

Watchlist and also shared by GermanMission inNew York July 2011 in the SecurityCouncils Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict, and the subsequent vote for a new

thematic resolution. Similarly, fewpoems

and

personal

stories

are

translated

in

English

andinprocesstobedisplayedinPeaceMuseum,PatanDhoka.

12.Muralpaintingprogrambecameexhilaratingexperience.Mural painting program proved to be an effective awareness raising tool to prevent

childrenrecruitingfromarmedconflict.Thevividgraphicpaintinginthewallofschoolis

able to catch the attention of community people at large level. Furthermore, the

pictureswithslogansiseasytounderstandthemeaningofpaintingforbothliterateand


20/47

19

illiterate. Likewise, theparticipatingchildrenand teacherexpressed that theygotan

opportunitytoworktogetherforthefirsttime.

13.RequestformotherschoolsforMuralpaintingAftermuralpainting in Jana Jyoti School, some other schools from the same district

requested HimRights to conduct mural painting programs in their schools. School

Principaland

teachers

came

to

HimRights

branch

office

and

request

for

Mural

painting

programintheirschool.

14.TVSerialTheTVserialbecameeffective inpresentingsuchasensitive issuetoawidernational

audience. It increased awareness and sensitized large numbers of people including

government stakeholders and policymakers. Lawyers and government stakeholders

appreciatedthiseffortandsuggestedtoextendthisserialincorporatingotheraspectsof

sexualabuse,harassmentandviolence.

1. Duringtheworkshop,fewparticipantshadhardtimetosharetheirexperiences.

2. Somekeystakeholdershaddifficultiestomanagetimeforthepublicdialoguedueto

theirbusyschedule.

3. Frequenttransferofstakeholdersisanotherchallengetoimplementthecommitments

madebytheirpredecessorsduringthepublicdialogue.

4. DurationofMuralpaintingprogramshouldbefewdayslonger.Becauseoftime

constraint,participantsandtheorganizershadtoworkcontinuouslyinaveryshort

time.

Challenges


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20

1. Thestakeholdersmadeseveralcommitments inPublicDialogue. Insomedistricts,the

district stakeholders are transferred to other districts. Newly appionted, district

stakeholdersshould internalizethese issuesas institutionalresponsibilityandworkon

addressingthem

as

soon

as

possible.

2. TheGovernmentshouldconductReconciliationProgramsthroughprintandelectronic

media to take reconciliation and peace building forward at a massive level in the

communities.

3. Peace building and reconciliation programs should focused on youths as theywere

directvictimsof thenconflict.They shouldbeprovidedwitheducational supportand

otherlivelihoodsupports.

4. TheGovernmentprovisiongrantsscholarshipstothechildrenwhoarebelow18years

old. But there aremany children,who dropped out their studies due to the armed

conflict, have crossed the Government limit of scholarships. Hence, they are still

deprivedof

education.

Similarly,

the

Policy

grants

scholarships

to

only

3children

of

a

conflictaffected family. Itdoesnot seem tobe fair for thosewhohavemore than3

schoolgoingchildren.

5. Peer groups and community child clubs should bemobilized to promote community

reconciliationprocess.

6. Muralpaintingonpeaceandreconciliationshouldbeexpandinotherschoolsandpublicplaces to massively disseminate messages as well as create social cohesion at

communitylevel.

7. In some of the Hill districts, many conflict victims are still to be incorporated in

Government relief process due to geographical difficulty and lack of information

dissemination.Hence,

the

process

for

relief

and

compensation

should

be

decentralized

todistrictandVDClevel.

8. There should be child friendly hearingmechanisms to encourage and voice the past

suppressedviolationsandsharetestimonies.

9. Closeandconfidentialplatformshouldbeestablishedtovoicethegravehumanrights

violationslikesexualviolenceduringandpostarmedconflict.

Recommendation


22/47

21

Childrenundoubtedlysufferedthemostduringthedecadelongarmedconflictandtheyarestill

sufferingfrompostconflictconsequences.Theimpactofprolongedarmedconflictisdeeplyin

themindandlifeofthesechildren.Theyhadtospendeverymomentinfear,threatandmental

torture,abduction,

and

sexual

violence

during

conflict.

Furthermore,

we

found

children

from

marginalized and sociallyexcluded are less familiar with justice process. They hesitate to

approach stakeholders and voice their issues by themselves. Therefore, it is felt that the

supporthastogothemnotthewayaround.

WebelievethatbothworkshopandthePublicdialoguehavepositiveimpactonparticipantsfor

theirempowerment,reconciliation,reparation,andtraumahealing.Theprogramprovedtobe

asafe,respectful,anddignifiedplatformforraisingarmedconflictrelatedissuesanditsimpact.

However,therearestill largenumbersofyouthswhowere thedirectvictimof thenconflict.

Thus, itiscrucialtobringtheminreconciliationprocessandmobilizethemasachangeagent

forsocial

harmony

from

community

level.

After theprogram,manyparticipantshave initiated applicationprocess for scholarships and

reliefandsomehavereceivedfromtheDistrict.Thisprogramissuccessfulinfacilitatingthem

andempowering them toaccessjustice.Hence, suchprogramsnowwithyouthsneed tobe

facilitatingatlargerscaletobuildharmonyandcohesion.

Conclusion


23/47

ProgramDistricts:

Farwestern Midwestern Central Eastern

Kanchanpur Bardiya Makwanpur,

Rautahat(MuralPaintingProgram)

Ilam


24/47

MakwanpurMakwanpur is surrounded by 10 different districts

includingKathmandu,Lalitpurandotherdistrictsfrom

HillsandTerai.Itcarriesdifficultmountainousterrain.

So,it

was

asafe

haven

for

Maoists

to

carry

out

their

activities. Numerous incidents of killing, cross fire,

abduction, tortureandviolationofhuman rights tookplace indifferentplacesatdifferent times.The

majorincidentsinPadampokhari,Hatiya,andJhurjhureofPhaparbaritooklivesofmanyMaoistcadres,

securitypersonnelandcivilians.

InMakwanpur,many childrenhave lost their lives,becamedisabled,and lost their lovedones in the

familyduringthearmedconflict.But, there isnoprecisedataonchildrenaffectedbyconflictneither

withGovernmentnorNGOs.Despitetheendofarmedconflictinthecountry,childrenarestillaffected

indifferentways.Someareorphaned;somearestill livingwithwoundscars;somewithpsychosocial

problems;and

still

others

facing

economic

problems

due

to

loss

of

breadwinner

of

the

family.

The

existenceofexplosivesandlandminesarestilltakinglivesofinnocentchildren.Manyofthemarestill

livingwithshrapneland/orasdisabled.Children fromRaigaon,Phaparbari,Betini,Hatiya,Harnamadi,

ChatiwanandShikharpurarefoundtobemostaffected.Hereissomeinformationonimpactofconflict

onchildren:

9childrenlosttheirlivesand7gotinjured(killedinKulekhaniVDC,whileinnocentlyplayingwith

abandonedexplosivesastoysandduringcrossfirings)

Around250childrenaredirectlyaffectedbythearmedconflict

ProgramDetail:

WorkshoponSocialCohesionandPeaceBuilding:

Therewere 33 conflict affected children from 18 different VDCs of the district. Formajority of the

participants, they were participating in this kind of program for the first time. The program was

completelyanewexperienceforthem.Itprovidedthemwithanopportunitytomeetmanyfriendswho

werealsogoingthroughsimilarkindofsufferingbutwithdifferent lifestories.Participantswerefrom

the familiesofkilling, injured;displaced,disappeared,andmajorityof themwereCAAFAGchildren. It

was thebestplatform forthem toprocess feelingofvictimhood.Hereare thedetailsofsomeof the

participants:

A15yearsoldboyfromDhiyalVDC,whoiscurrentlystudyingin8thgrade,wasforcefullytaken

byMaoists for theirprogram in2063BSat theageof11. Laterhewas forced to carry their

goodsandexplosivesfromDhiyaltoSingaulofBara.

An18yearsgirlfromBasamadiVDCvoluntarilyjoinedtheculturalgroupofMaoistsattheageof

14.Shestayedthereforfewmonths.Shethoughtshecouldexplorehersingingtalentbutshe

couldnot.Laterherparentstookherbackhome.

A16yearsoldgirlfromGoganeVDCislookingafterheroldagedgrandparents.Herfatherwas

killedbyMaoistsaccusinghimofspying.

ReconciliationWorkshop:20thto24thJuly,2010PublicDialogue:25thand26thJuly,2010

Exhibition:27thand28thJuly,2010

DistrictwiseProgram


25/47

24

FouroftheparticipantswereminevictimsfromPhaparbariVDC.Likewise,someparticipantslosttheir

parentsduring thearmedconflict.Thechildren,whowereaffected from theconflict,arenow facing

severalpsychosocialproblems.Somewitnessedtheirlovedonesbeingkilled infrontoftheirowneyes

whereasothersweretortured.OneoftheparticipantswitnessedthedreadfulGaurincidentofRautahat

(March2007).Hewitnessedallkindsofhumancrueltyduringthat incident.Heneverthoughtthathe

wouldcome

back

alive

from

there.

The

suffering

caused

by

the

armed

conflict

was

still

visible

in

many

of

theparticipants. TheboywitnessedtheGaurincident,wasstillseverelytraumatizedbytheincident.He

found itverydifficult to sharehisexperiences. Itwas clear thathewasalso looking foranoutlet to

releasehisfeelingsandtheprogramwasabletoprovidehimthatplatform.Hestillhadfeelingoftaking

revengetotheperpetrators.Attheendoftheprogramheexpressedthatrevenge isnotthesolution

butcompassionis.

The participants voluntarily shared different incidents which they had experienced during armed

conflict.Thesharingsessionenhancedthefeelingofvictimhoodamongsttheparticipantswhohadgone

throughsimilarkindof incidents. Italsocreatedsomekindofdivisionbetweenparticipantswhowere

victimizedby

the

Maoists

and

the

Government

Security

Forces.

A

participant

shared

that

the

sharing

of

thoseincidentsmustbeinpersonnotingroup.However,someoftheparticipantsadmittedthatsharing

sessionsonlyunfoldedtheirpastevent.Someparticipantssucceededtodisseminatepositivemessage

offorgivenessandreconciliationamongtheparticipants.

Aparticipantshared,MyfatherwasactivememberofMaoistParty.Hehadspentalmostsixandhalfyearsin

prisonforpoliticalreasons.Myfatherwassaidtobebrutallykilledin2060BS.Wenevergothisbody.Iwasso

upsetthen.Iwantedtoeatthefleshofthatpersonwhokilledmyfather.OnedayIwenttohouseoftheperson

who killed myfather with apurpose to take the revenge. I was ready to kill him or be killed by him at that

moment.ButwhenIsawfourofhissmallchildren,myeyesfilledwithtears.IthoughtifIkillhim,thechildren

wouldbeorphanedandtheywouldbeinfarmoretroublethanIhadbeenthrough.Iknowthepainoflosinga

father.After

that,

Icompletely

gave

up

the

feelings

of

revenge.

If

the

perpetrator

apologizes

in

public,

I

am

ready toforgivehim. I realizedthatrevenge isnotthesolution,butforgiveness is. Icantgetmyfatherback

withrevenge.

Participants were much concerned about the causes of conflict and its positive and negative

consequences intheirsocietyandthecountry.Onthefirstday,theyexpectedto learnnew issueson

conflictandpeacebuildingprocess;thegovernmentefforts inpeacebuildingprocessandthechanges

broughtaboutbythoseefforts.Mostimportantly,theyexpectedtolearnaboutGovernmentprovisions

onreliefandcompensation,conflictmanagement,andappropriatepunishmenttotheperpetrators.

SomeoftheCAAFAGchildrenwerefacingpsychosocialproblemslikedifficultyinconcentration,feeling

fearand loneliness,anxiety,worryingand insomnia.Themain reasonbehindtheseproblemswasthe

dreadful incidentstheyhadwitnessedduringtheconflict.AparticipantfromGadhiVDC, survivorand

witnessofGaurMassacre (March,2007), showedveryunusualbehaviorswhile interviewing.Hewas

feelingveryanxiousanduneasy.Hewasholdinghishands tightandbitingkeyringswhilesharinghis

experiences.Hewitnessed all levels of human cruelty includingwomen being gang raped, cut their

organsandbodypartsslashedandburntalive.


26/47

25

ThePublicDialogue:

Therewere45conflictaffectedchildrenfrom18differentVDCsofthedistrict.

ThestakeholdersofPublicDialoguewere:

1. Mr.DineshBhattarai,ChiefDistrictOfficer

2. Mr.BishnuPrasadAdhikari,DistrictEducationOfficer

3. Mr.RamKrishnaThapa,SocialDevelopmentOfficer,DistrictDevelopmentCommittee

4. Mr.IndraBahadurPariyar,DistrictSecretary,UCPN(M)

5. Mr.JhabindraGyawali,HumanRightsandChildRightsActivist

Majorityofparticipantsexpressedtheirdiscontentoverthescholarshipissues.Evenaftersomanyyears

ofendofarmedconflict,theyhavenotreceivedanysupportorscholarshipsfromtheDistrictEducation

Office.Someof theparticipantsdidnotknowaboutprovisionson scholarships tochildrenofconflict

victims. They were completely unaware of those provisions. A participant residing in Hetauda

Municipality said, I have not heard about theseprovisions of relief and compensationfor conflict victims

though

I

am

staying

here

in

the

city

area.

Then

how

couldpeople

in

remote

villages

know

about

these

provisions?Therefore,thereshouldbepropermechanismsfordisseminatinginformationineveryVDC

of the district. Many participants were upset to know that there is no provisions of relief and

compensationtothechildrenwhowereinvolvedwithMaoistpartyoranyotherarmedgroupsforsome

monthsorsomeyears.

AboyfromPhaparbari,whoisstilllivingwithshrapnelofbombs,askedChiefDistrictOfficeraboutthe

Governmentprovisionsonmedicalsupporttothechildrenwhowereinjuredduringarmedconflict.He

is still livingwith scabs ofwound. Participants also raised their concern over the reconstruction of

destructed school buildings in the villages. The Social Development Officer admitted that DDC has

releasedbudget

for

reconstruction

of

schools

in

different

VDCs.

He

added,

For

reconstruction

works,

the

respectiveschoolshavetosubmitapplicationinDDC.

AparticipantfromPhaparbarivisitedCDOOfficeontheverynextdaytosubmitapplicationformedical

expenses.Hewas injured inbombblast inhisporchwhile innocentlyplayingwithabandonedbomb.

HimRights also issued referral letter tohim. Someof theparticipants admitted that theywould visit

concernedstakeholdersverysoon.Thisistheimmediateoutputoftheprogramtotheparticipantsand

thechangeandempowermentithasbroughtabout.

It is primary responsibility of the State to provide education to conflict affected children. The

Representative fromMaoist Party admitted, Maoist Party is also concerned about education of conflict

affectedchildren.

We

have

been

planning

to

open

Martyr

Memorial

Boarding

Schools

in

different

places

where

children of Martyr and conflict victims could continue their education. We have started a school in Dolakha.

About 12 children of conflict victims from Makwanpur are studying in that school. On the other hand,

Governmenthas startedOpenSchools indifferentplaceswhereconflictaffectedchildrencanpursue

theireducationevenaftersomeyearsofgap.OpenSchoolsoffersfasttrackeducationtothechildren

whoweredroppedoutofschoolsduetoarmedconflict.


27/47

26

At the end of the program, the panelist stakeholders signed on the Commitment Paper. They

internalized the magnitude of suffering of conflict affected children are facing. They were also

empathetic towards the problems raised by the participants and realized their accountability on

addressingtheissuesofCAC.Likewise,Paneliststakeholdersappreciatedthesystematicanddisciplined

wayofraisingchildrensissues.

TheExhibition:

The artworks, poems, songs, and memoirs created by

conflict affected children in five day workshop were

displayed in the program. The exhibition displayed 48

artworks created by children from the Makwanpur and

other districts. The exhibition was observed by

representatives of government and nongovernment

agencies, school children, district security personnel,

journalists, and local youths and enthusiasts. The visitors

foundthe

exhibition

very

new

in

its

kind

in

the

district.

They

appreciated childrens creation as they represent their

voicesand theiraspirations forpeaceand reconciliation in

thecountry.Someparticipantssaid that thechildren shouldbegiven further trainingsonpainting so

thattheycouldcreatefinerartworks.Theexhibitionisobservedbymorethan500enthusiasts.

Thesecreationsandartworksportraythepastincidentsthatchildrenhadgonethrough.Theseareveryhearttouching.Hopefullythisexhibitionwouldbehelpfulinestablishing

Peace

in

the

country.

AVisitor


28/47

27

BardiyaBardiyaliesinBherizoneofMidwesternregion.The

majorityofthepeopleinthisdistrictarefromTharu

community.Duringarmedconflict,several incidents

tookplace indifferentpartsofthedistrict.Bhawara

Tappaof

Rajpur

VDC

was

most

badly

affected

during

the armed conflict. Major crossfire VDCs of

Chisapani, Ganeshpur, Mirchiya took lives of large number of Maoists, State security forces, and

civilians.According toDistrictAdministrationOffice, thenumberof fatalitiesduring armed conflict is

399,outofwhich47werewomen.Likewise,largenumbersofpeopleweretorturedbybothconflicting

parties,sowereinjuredanddisabled.

Bardiya is the district with highest number of

conflictrelateddisappearancecasesmainlybythe

State Security Forces and few by the Maoists.

Mostof

the

cases

were

related

to

enforced

disappearances.Theyweretakenawayfromtheir

home, their fields, and their neighborhoods

accusing themofbeing spyor supportive to the

opposing parties. Twenty six of the disappeared

werebelow18yearsofage.

In Bardiya, very few conflict victims have received relief and compensation as provisioned by the

Directives,2009.TheLocalPeaceCommitteeofthedistrict isnotactivelyworkingonraisingvoicesof

conflict affected children. There are several NGOs working on different issues of conflict victims

especiallyofdisappeared.

ProgramDetail:

WorkshoponSocialCohesionforPeaceBuilding:

Theprogramwas organized inGulariyaMunicipalityofBardiya. Therewere 35 participants from 14

different VDCs of the district. Two third of themwere female participants.Majority of themwere

participating inthiskindofprogramforthefirsttime.Theprogramwascollectively inauguratedbyall

theparticipants. Itprovided them time to interminglewitheachother from theverybeginning.They

foundtheinaugurationprocessverynewinitskind.Herearethedetailsofsomeoftheparticipants:

An18yearsoldgirlfromHasanapurofMotipurVDCwasassociatedwithMaoistpartyformore

than

3

years.

She

was

involved

in

the

crossfire

that

took

place

in

Dallapur

of

Mohamadpur

VDC

ofthedistrict.ShewaslatertransferredtoYCLforbeingunderaged.

AgirlfromPatabharVDCwasonly12yearsoldwhenshejoinedMaoistPartyasamemberof

their culturalgroup.She spentalmost5 years there.She cameback from therebecause she

wantedtostudyandidentifyherowndestiny.

CasesofDisappearancesintheBardiyaDistrict

Stateled

Maoist

led

Total

238 17 255

Source:AdvocacyForum,Bardiya

ReconciliationWorkshop:14thto18thAugust,2010PublicDialogue:19thto20thAugust,2010

Exhibition:21stand22ndAugust,2010


29/47

28

A12yearsoldboywas seekingjusticeandcompensation fordisappearanceofhis father.His

fatherwas takenawayby theStateSecurityForces.His fatherwasdisappearedmore than7

yearsago.(Prem)

A14yearsoldgirl fromManpurTaparaVDCwasdeprivedofher fathers lovewhen shewas

only 5 years old.Her fatherwas taken away by State Security Forces accusinghim of being

Maoist.

Afterbeingpartoftheinauguration,theyfeltliketheywerealsosignificantmemberofthesociety.The

sessionswere fullyparticipatory.Differenttools likeroleplays,groupdiscussions,videodocumentary,

sharingsessionsandgameswereusedfortheireffectiveparticipation.Moreover,theroleplaysproved

to be themost effective and lively tool in internalizing the contents. Their participation level was

appreciative.

In five days workshop, the participants showed great

enthusiasm on each and every session and made very

productive

participation.

The

sessions

were

two

way

interaction rather than disseminating information from

theorganizersside.The issuesraisedbytheparticipants

weregivenhighpriorityforthediscussion.Since,mostof

theparticipantswere fromTharuCommunity, theywere

calm in the firstday.Tharus,bynature,donotopenup

easilyinthepublicforum.Butinfollowingdays,theywere

moreopenand theyactivelyparticipated insessionsand

groupactivities.

Majorityof them expressed that they gained confidence

andtheyarenowabletoputforwardtheirissuesinevery

forum.Thesessionsonarmedconflictandviolencewereconductedthroughroleplays.Theywerevery

effectiveininternalizingthemessagesofpeacebuildingandreconciliation.

ThechildrenwhowereassociatedwithMaoistPartyarestillfacingproblemsintheirsociety,especially

iftheyarefemale.TheyarediscriminatedortreateddifferentlyforbeingassociatedwithMaoistparty.

Sometimestheyhavefeelingofrevengeagainstthosewhomistreatthem.

Participantsenjoyedtheartworksessionsverymuch.Majorityofthemwereverynewtoartworks.They

havebeensufferedindifferentways.Theyfinditverydifficulttoexpresstheirpastexperiencesorally.

Hence,the

artwork

approach

proved

to

be

best

medium

to

articulate

their

feelings,

suffering

and

plights.In3daysofartworksession,theparticipantsmade50fineandoriginalartworks,poems,andlife

storiesrelatingtothepastexperiencesofarmedconflict.Thechildrenplayedwithcolorstogiveperfect

creations.Thesignificantmessagesoftheseartworkswerethatallconflictaffectedchildrenwantpeace

inthecountry.Likewise,someofthechildrenportrayedtheexactincidentsthattheyhadwitnessed.A

participantwhowasassociatedwithMaoistPartymadeapictureofcrossfire. Inapicture,aperson is

heldtiedintreesandbeatenbytwoarmedpersons.Theparticipantwhomadethatpicturesharedthat

Ihavelearnedlotofnewthings

about

armed

conflict

and

its

impact

on

childrenandthewholesociety.Now,I

amabletodisseminatethe

informationtoothersaswell.Iam

nowconfidentenoughtospeakand

putforthmyproblemsinanyforum

withoutanyhesitation.Theprogram

wasalsohelpfulindecreasingmy

grievance.

Aparticipant


30/47

29

hehaswitnessedsamekindofincidentduringarmedconflict.Thisshowshowsuchkindofincidentshas

long lastingeffectonchildpsychology.ParticipantsalsocreatedpictureofBuddha,Dove,Swoyambhu

NathandflagofNepal,whichshowthattheywantpeaceandjusticeinthecountry.

Theparticipants learnedaboutpeacebuildingandsocialcohesion; rightsofconflictaffectedchildren;

effortsof

government

and

non

government

organizations

in

the

five

day

workshop.

ThePublicDialogue:

ThestakeholdersofPublicDialoguewere:

1. Mr.JayaPrasadAacharya,DistrictEducationOfficer

2. Mr.TilakSharma(Himal),DistrictIncharge,UCPNM

3. Mr.SantaBahadurDhakal,AdministrativeOfficer,DistrictAdministrationOffice

4. Mr.BhuwanAaryal,LocalDevelopmentOfficer

5. Mr.KashiRamDhungana,HumanRightsActivist

Twentyone

participants

raised

their

issues

directly

in

front

of

panelist

stakeholders.

Most

of

the

issues

wererelatedtoreliefpackagesandscholarshipstothechildreninarmedconflict,whereasotherswere

concernedaboutsocialandlegaljusticetothevictims.Thosewhosefamilymembersweredisappeared

admittedthatthestatemustrevealthewhereaboutsofdisappearedpeople.

Theparticipants raised issuesondistributionof sustainable relief to familiesof conflict victims.They

opinedthatvictims(ofdeathanddisappearancecases)getonetimereliefpackageofonelakhrupees;

that isnotsustainable in itself.Theyhave lost thebreadwinnersof the family.Therefore, sustainable

supportisveryimportantratherthaninstanteconomicreliefs.

Sita Sapkota of Kalika4 VDC askedMaoist Representative, Myfather wasforcefully abducted by the

Maoistsfrom

home.

Iwould

like

to

ask

Maoists

when

will

they

investigate

on

my

fathers

disappearance

and

revealfacts about him. I urge them to make himpublic as soon aspossible.The representativeofMaoist

couldnotanswerherquestionproperly.However,hesaid,Weare investigatingondisappearancecases

within the district. Whenever wefind out thefacts about yourfather, we will inform you. His statementcannot bring happiness in the faces of victims of disappearance. The Government should form

DisappearanceCommissiontocarryoutconcreteinvestigationondisappearedpersons.

ACAAFAGfromPatabharVDCwasforcefullytakenfromhomebyMaoistcadres;theyclaimedthatthey

wouldguaranteeherbrightfuture.ShewasinvolvedwithMaoistPartyforfourandhalfmonthswhere

sheworkedasamemberofculturaltroupeandasaporter.Sheaskedstakeholders,Ihaveworkedfor

Maoistparty

for

so

many

years.

Due

to

that,

Iwas

detached

from

my

regular

studies.

Who

is

responsible

for

all

this,theMaoistsortheState?SheadmittedthatneitherstatenorUCPN(M)isshowinganyconcernonthoseissues.RepresentativeofCPN(M)defendedthepartysayingthatthechildrenarenottheconflict

victimsbutparticipantsofconflict.Onthisveryissue,ChildRightsActivistopposedthestatementmade

by Representative ofMaoists. He said, The rights of children were visibly violated by the activities of

Maoists.Hence,Maoistsshouldberesponsibleforwhathadhappenedtochildren.Onthesametime,theState

shouldprovidethemwithnecessarysupportincludingreliefpackages.


31/47

30

SomeoftheparticipantsweredisplacedfromhilldistrictsofSurkhet,Salyan,JumlaandDailekhafterthe

incident. So, they are getting difficulty in processing for relief and compensation from host district.

However,thegovernmentstakeholdersadmittedthattheywouldmakenecessaryarrangementinhome

districtstoaddresstheirissues.

TheExhibition:

The exhibition was organized for two days on 21st and 22nd of August, in District Development

CommitteeHall.Theartworks,poems, songs,and lifestoriescreatedby thechildrenduring fivedays

workshopweredisplayedintheexhibition.Itdisplayed50creationsofchildrenfromBardiyaandsome

othersfromtendifferentdistricts.

Throughthesecreations,thechildrenexpressedthattheyseekthejusticeforwhathadhappenedinthe

past.Theywishedpeaceandjusticewouldprevailand thegrievanceswhich theyexperienced in the

pastwouldnotrepeatagain.Oneofthelifestoriesbyaparticipantreads,Maoistsabductedmyfatheron

2060Falgun29.Laterwecametoknowthroughmediathathehadbeenkilled.Butwehavenotgothisbody

yet.Wewillnotdodeathritualsuntilwegetsomeconcreteproofof hisdeath.Weneedjustice;wewantto

knowaboutwhereaboutsofmyfather;andwewanttheperpetratorbepunished.Iknowtheagonyoflosingmy

father.

Theexhibitionwasobservedby representativesofgovernmentandnongovernmentagencies,school

children,districtsecuritypersonnel,journalists,andotherenthusiasts.Thevisitorsfoundtheexhibition

verynew in itskind inthedistrict.Astudentsaid,Thiskindofexhibitionshouldbetakentothedifferent

schoolsofthedistrict.Theexhibitionwasobservedbymorethan700people.


32/47

31

KanchanpurKanchanpur, a district of Farwestern region has

faced adverse consequences of the decade long

armed conflict. Children were easy target of both

conflictingpartiesduringarmed conflict.Theywere

usedin

some

or

other

way

during

and

after

armed

conflict. Even after end of armed conflict, children

havebeen suffering in severalways.Childrenwerekilledand/or injured in landmineexplosionsand

theyareabductedbycriminalarmedgroupsforransom.

Around259childrenweredirectlyaffectedduringarmedconflict;theywereusedfortraffickingofarms

andweapons,spyingindifferentplaces,messengerandcollectdonation.Moreover,theywereusedas

human shield at different times. Using children for such purposesmight have fulfilled goals of the

conflictingpartiesor armed groups,but ithas long term impactonprotectionof children. They are

deprivedoftheirfundamentalrights.

ProgramDetails:

WorkshoponSocialCohesionandPeaceBuilding:

Therewere totalof30participants from18differentVDCsof thedistrict.Majorityoftheparticipants

werefromTharucommunityandwerebasicallyfromagriculturebackground.Thereisstilllackofaccess

tojustice formanyof themas theyarehesitantand fear to speakout for their rights.Hereare the

detailsofsomeoftheparticipants:

15yearsoldboy fromKalikaVDC:his fatherwasaMaoistcadreandkilledbySecurityForces

afterabduction.Hisfamilylosttheirbreadwinnerfollowedbystumblingfamilyeconomy.Heis

nowfacingpsychosocialproblems.

18yearsoldgirlfromKrishnapurVDCwasinvolvedwithMaoistpartyandtheiractivities.Dueto

her involvement inMaoistparty,she isnotwellaccepted inher family.She isnow livingwith

oneofheraunt.Sheseeksskilldevelopmentand/orjoborientedtrainings.

18 years old boy from Shankarpur VDC is still livingwith shrapnel in his left hand. Hewas

severelyinjuredinanexplosionsetupbyMaoistattheageof12.Hehasnotreceivedanykind

ofmedicationorothersupports.

Formostoftheparticipants, thiskindofprogramwasverynewandtheywereveryexcited fromthe

veryfirstdayoftheworkshop.Theywerevery inquisitivetoknowabouttherightsofconflictaffected

children.Aparticipantsaidinanexpectationcollection,Iwanttoknowmoreabouthowourproblemscan

beaddressedforsustainablesolution.

Some of the participants shared their experiences and the incidents they had gone through during

armedconflict.Aparticipantshared,MyfatherwaskilledbySecurityForces6yearsago.Now,myfamilys

economicconditionisveryweak.Mymotherhadtogothroughhardshipsallthetime.Heisabrilliantstudent

andhesoughtforeducationalsupport.Heisalsofacingpsychosocialproblems.Fourparticipantsshared

theirexperiencesintheSharingSession.Thesessionwasendedasmanyofothersburstintotearsafter

ReconciliationWorkshop:14thto19thSeptemberPublicDialogue:20thand21stSeptember

Exhibition:22ndand23rdSeptember


33/47

32

listeningtotheircolleaguesexperienceswhichwereverysimilartotheirown.Thesessionalsoended

withpositivemessagethattheyarenotaloneinthisworldwhoaresufferingduetothearmedconflict.

ThePsychosocialCounselorcarriedout severalpsychosocialcounseling sessionsboth individuallyand

throughgrouprelaxations.Thesesessionshelpedthemtogetrelievedatleastforshortperiod.Majority

ofthe

participants

had

periodic

headache

and

they

faced

such

problem

during

and

after

the

armed

conflict. Someof themhadnegative thinking and feelingofhopelessnessand loneliness. Fewof the

participantsweregoing throughmoderatepsychosocialproblemsand theyneed furtherpsychosocial

support.However,theywereprovidedwithseveralcounselingduringtheprogram.

Theworkshopwasafirsttimeexperienceformajorityoftheparticipants.Theywerereluctanttoopen

up in the beginning, but they becamemore andmore comfortable with the entire process in the

followingdays.Theuseofroleplays,games,groupworkactivitiesandsoforthreallyhelpedinbringing

aboutaharmoniousatmosphere.Moreover,they internalizedtheworkshopcontents.Theparticipants

identified some essential prerequisite for reconciliation as rebuilding communal relations, providing

justice for victims, revealwhereabouts of disappeared people and establishing social harmony. The

participantsemphasizedtopunishperpetratorsregardlessoftheiraffiliation.

Theparticipantsalsopointedout their roles inpeacebuildingand reconciliationprocess.Theirmajor

concernwasonsocialjusticeatthecommunitylevel.Theyweredirectlyvictimizedduringtheconflict,

andthenrevictimizedsubsequentlybythesociety.Someofthemarestillfacingdiscrimination inthe

societyforbeingconflictvictim.

Theparticipants realized thatcollectivevoicesaremore likely tobeheard, rather thanone individual

voice.Thisfurther ledthemtounderstandthenecessityforaunifiedvoiceandactiontowardspeace.

Similarly,theystressedonneedfortheirownmeaningfulandstructuralparticipationintheconstitution

makingprocess.

Participants

expressed

their

experiences

and

sufferings

in

the

form

of

artwork,

stories,

andother literaryworks.Theyfound itasan idealwayofexpressingtheirfeelings.Theycreatedmore

than80artworks.

ThePublicDialogue:

Therewere 48 participants from 18 differentVDCs of the district. Theywere prepared to put their

issues/queries in front of the Stakeholders about relief and compensation to the victims of armed

conflictandabouttheirrighttosocialandlegaljustice.TheStakeholdersofthePublicDialoguewere:

1. Mr.BuddhiBahadurKhadka,ChiefDistrictOfficer

2. Mr.ShyamKumarAdhikari,LocalDevelopmentOfficer

3. Mr.PremNathPaudel,DistrictEducationOfficer

4. Mr.BhuwanrajChataut,ChildRightsActivist

5. Mr.BipinAdhikari,Representative,UCPN(M)

ManrajUpadhaya, thedistrict focalperson,presentedWorkingPaperonsituationofconflictaffected

children in thedistrict.Heemphasized that children shouldbeput far fromarmed conflict and their


34/47

33

righttosurvivalshouldbeensured.HementionsinhisPaper,Allpoliticalpartieshavetoguaranteethat

theywillnotusechildrenforpoliticalpurpose.Childrensrightsshouldalwaysbegivenfirstpriority.

Majority of the participants raised their issues regarding educational support to them.A participant

from Dumrah VDC asked District Education Officer about provisions on scholarships to children of

conflict

victims.

His

father

was

killed

by

Security

Forces

and

his

family

has

received

Rs.

1

lakh

and

Rs.

25

thousands as relief package, but he has not received scholarships yet. District Education Officer

committedtoprovidehimscholarshipsnextyearifhesubmitscompletedapplicationandgetsapproved

fromthecenter.

The application procedures are very vague and the applications get pending for long time due to

incompleteorunclearsubmissionofapplications.ChiefDistrictOfficersaid,Mostoftheapplicationsdo

notmeetrequirementsasprovisionedontheDirectives2009,duetowhichwecannotrefertheapplicationto

theMinistry.Themostdifficultpart isprovidingevidencetothecasesofkilling,disappearanceandcaptureof

properties.Heacceptedthere is lacking inprovisiononprovidingrelieftothe injuredvictims.Hesaid,

TheDistrictCommitteecannotreferthecasesofinjuryformedicaltreatmentandexpensesifthetreatments

arecarried

out

in

private

hospitals

and/or

abroad.

Iagree,

there

are

some

drawbacks

in

the

provisions.

AparticipantfromDaijiVDCaskedCDO,Myfatherwasateacher.HewastakenbySecurityForcesstating

thattheyhavetodiscusswithhim.Theykilledmyfatherandoneofmyunclewithoutanyreason.So,Iwould

liketoaskwhethertheperpetratorswouldbepunishedornot. Idemandforstrongactionagainstthosewho

killedmyfatherandmyuncle.CDOreplied,NHRChasinitiatedprocessofinvestigationonkillingofcivilians

using excessiveforce. I will definitely assist in investigationprocess.ChildRightsActivistadded, There are

numerouscasesofkillingofciviliansandallcasesshouldbeinvestigated.

AparticipantfromLaxmipurVDCaskedabouthisconcernregardingsustainablesupporttothefamilies

ofconflictvictims.Hesaid,Governmentprovidesreliefof1lakhtothefamiliesofkilled.Thatamount

isnot

sufficient

for

their

sustainable

livelihoods.

CDO

admitted

that

he

would

raise

the

issue

at

central

levelastheyneedtobediscussedatpolicylevel.

Theissueofmedicalsupportandmedicalexpensestotheinjuredduringarmedconflictemergedasthe

highlyprioritizedagendaduringtheDialogue.Dueto lackofdocumentsandprovisionaldifficultiesfor

victimswhohadundergone treatment in Indiaand inprivatehospitalsduring theconflictperiod; the

legalstatepolicydoesntgrantthemrighttoreimbursementformedicalexpensesandfurthermedical

support.AparticipantfromShankarpurVDCwasinjuredinbombexplosion.Heisstilllivingshrapnelin

hisbody.Hehadnotreceivedanykindofmedicalsupport.CDOcommittedtoreferthecasetoMinistry

ofHealthifhesubmitscompleteapplicationwithreferralofconcerneddoctors.

They raiseddifferent issuesoncompensationand relief for the lossof their lovedones; scholarships;

medicalexpensesand furthermedical treatment;whereaboutsof thedisappearedandjusticeat the

large. The panelist stakeholders were very positive from their side. They made some concrete

commitmentsbutmostoftheissuesweredirectlylinkedtothepolicylevel;sotheycouldnotdomuch

onthoseissuesbecauseofproceduraldifficulties.Itwassimplyoutoftheirjurisdiction.Moreover,they

suggestedtheimmediateneedforarestructuringofsomeofthestatepoliciesregardingarmedconflict

anditsvictims.Theproceduresofthestatepolicieshavebeenimplementedtosomeextent.Butdueto


35/47

34

inherentlackofproceduralclarityontheissuesofCAAFAGandthelackingofprovisionofscholarships

tothechildrenofconflictvictims,whoareaboveeighteenyearsofage,verylittlecancurrentlybedone

for them.Bothof theseconcernswere raised timeandagainby theparticipantsduring thedialogue.

TheDistrictEducationOfficercouldnotmakeconcretecommitmentsonthescholarship issuebecause

withoutachange in thecentralpolicymechanism, theofficealonecannotgoaheadandgrant these

participantswith

scholarships.

TheExhibition

Theexhibitionwasorganized inDistrictDevelopmentCommitteehall.Theexhibitionwasobservedby

morethan300personsincludingstudents,governmentstaff,representativesofdifferentorganizations

andjournalists.Theobserversfoundthatthiskindofprogramwasheldinthedistrictforthefirsttime

and theyappreciated thehardworkof thechildren increating theartworks.Largenumberofschool

studentsobserved the exhibition andwere keen toobserve each and every artwork.Manyof them

appreciatedwhentheycametoknowtheentireprocess.Theyadmittedthattheeventwoulddefinitely

behelpful inmakinggovernmentandpoliticalpartiesaccountable inaddressing the issuesofconflict

affectedchildren.

An

observer

expressed,

The

artworks

and

literary

works

are

so

realistic.

It

gives

perfect

meaningandfaceofsituationofchildreninarmedconflict.


36/47

35

IlamIlam,adistrictofEasternDevelopmentRegion,faced

numerous cases of human rights violations during

thedecade longarmedconflict. Inthedistrict, large

numbers of peoplewere killed by both conflicting

parties,civilians

were

abducted,

tortured

accusing

themofbeingsupporterofopposingparty.

A totalof189persons lost their lives in Ilam.Majorclashes inMalateofMaipokhari took livesof17

security forces,6policepersonneland4MaoistPLAs.Likewise, therewereclashesbetweenSecurity

forcesandMaoists in IlamMunicipality,KyabungofMangalbare,Pashupatinagar,Danabari,Fuetappa

resultedintolossoflivesofseveralsecuritypersonnel,MaoistPLAandcivilians.

Duringarmedconflict,Maoistsabductedchildrenfromtheirschoolsandhomesandforcefullyengaged

them inarmedtrainingsandotherpurposes.ChildrenweretheeasytargetofMaoists.Similarly, large

numberofchildrenvoluntarilyjoinedtheMaoistPartyfollowingthewhim. Itresulted intodeprivation

fromeducation.Moreover,theyhadtoliveunderfearallthetime.Ithadnegativepsychologicalimpact

onthem.EvenafterComprehensivePeaceAccord,thechildrenwhoweredirectlyinvolvedwithMaoist

Partywereutilizedbynumberofunidentifiedarmedgroupsascadreoftheirarmedwing.PalloKirat,KiratJanabadiWorkersParty,LimbuwanRajyaParishadandSanghiyaLoktantrikRastriyaMancharestill using children as their cadre and/or volunteers. Large numbers of civilians were arrested or

abducted by State Security Forces,Maoists and other armed groups in the district. A total of 2359

personswerearrestedorabductedandtorturedbytheStateSecurityForcesand824byMaoists.On

theotherhand,85weretorturedbyanarmedgroupcalledKamrangGroup.

ProgramDetails:

Workshopon

Social

Cohesion

and

Peace

Building:

Therewere28participantsthatincluded13girlsand15boysfromdifferentVDCsandIlamMunicipality

of the district.Majority of them were Janajatis and others were from Dalit, Brahmin and Chhetri

community.Majorityoftheparticipantshavethecasesofarrestorabductionoftheirfamilymembers

by theSecurity Forcesand later theywere found tobe tortured indetention. Likewise, someof the

participantshadlosttheirfamilymembers.AparticipantwasvictimofIlamattack.Herfatherwaskilled

in crossfire in IlamMunicipality. Fewof the participantsweredirectly associatedwithMaoist Party.

Someof themhadworkedasPLA andothersasmemberof cultural troupe,medicalpersonnel,and

porter.Hereisbriefdescriptionofsomeoftheparticipants.

AparticipantfromPanchakanyaVDCwaskeptindetentionbytheStateSecurityForcesin2062

BS.She

spent

more

than

ayear

in

detention

in

different

places

including

Ilam,

Jhapa

and

Biratnagar.Shehadsubmittedapplicationsforreliefandcompensation,butthereisnohearing.

A20yearsoldparticipantfromChulachuliVDC,joinedMaoistParty in2062BS.Heworkedas

medicalpersonnel.After leaving theParty,he continuedhis studies.Hedoesnotexpect any

reliefandcompensationfromthegovernment,buthewantstheGovernmenttoberesponsible

towardstheissuesofconflictaffectedchildren.

ReconciliationWorkshop:18thto22ndNovemberPublicDialogue:23rdand24thNovember

Exhibition:25thand26thNovember


37/47

36

Aparticipant fromRolpa iscurrentlystudying in thedistrict.HewasassociatedwithPeoples

Liberation Army while studying in 6th grade in Rolpa district. He was injured in crossfire

Thanawangofthesamedistrict.Later,hewasabletorunawayfromthedistricttosettleinIlam

district.

Majorityof

the

participants

were

participating

in

workshops

related

to

peace

and

reconciliation

for

the

first time.Hence, theywerepleased tobeapartof theworkshop.Theywereverymuch concerned

abouttheirrights.TheywerewillingtolearnaboutroleoftheStatefortheprotectionandupliftmentof

conflict affected children. They were much inquisitive to learn about the provisions on relief and

compensationstotheconflictvictimsfromtheveryfirstday.Theyexperiencedconflictfromverynear

and have been suffering till date. Therefore, they raised one voice as let the peace prevail in the

country.

Participants shared theirexperiencesofarmed conflictand its impacton theirdaily lives.Thosewho

have lost their familymembers had gone through very difficult times of poverty and helplessness.

Likewise,

majority

of

children

joined

Maoist

Party

because

of

their

influence

and/or

threat.

They

left

stu

reconciliation for sustainable peace building annual report 2011

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