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Action Research on the Issues of Madhesh
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Promoting the Voice of Voice-less for Conflict-resolution
and Empowerment (Pro-VoiCE)
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Civic Education for Constituent Assembly Election
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Women Peace Network
(WPNet)
1.
Action Research on the Issues of Madhesh
Background
Over the last year, Madhesh has become the most critical region
in Nepal’s fragile transition. Since the popular movement in
January 2007, the Madhesh has seen a proliferation of groups –
some armed – claiming to be fighting for the Madheshi people.
However, the chaotic situation is the Madhesh is evident in the
myriad factions, different political views, deteriorating law
and order, increasing radicalism, growing ethnic tensions, and
lack of information; both about the past and present.
It
is critical to identify and ground-truth the issues of Madhesh
in order to resolve them. There are many critical reasons for
the growing tensions in Madhesh, mainly; i) there is a growing
gulf between the political leaders and ordinary people. Ordinary
people often feel that they are being used for political ends,
and do not clearly understand many of the political demands
being raised by the agitating groups, ii) there is growing
radicalism in both rhetoric and action to utilize the
frustrations of the people for political benefit, iii) there is
a proliferation of groups – who are often in disagreement with
each other – each claiming to be fighting for the Madheshi
community. Similarly, other communities (e.g. hill origin;
Pahadi) have also formed self-defense groups, increasing the
changes of communal violence, iv) there remains a gap of
information about the Madhesh and the Madheshi community among
other critical actors such as the international community,
national media, and other opinion makers, v) there is lack of
skills and knowledge among the majority of fresh candidate
(first time winner in the election) about how to incorporate
people’s voice during constitution making process, and vi)
dominance of certain ethnic and indigenous groups in the
constitution assembly will affect mainstreaming those left
behind.
Objective/s
To
contribute to peaceful resolution of Madheshi movement through
identifying and promoting the common issues of Madhesh in the
east and central Terai districts.
Activities
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Survey and Consultations on the issues of Madhesh in Saptari,
Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rauthat, Bara and
Parsa districts
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District level dialogues on the findings from survey and
consultations in the above mentioned districts.
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Report preparation and dissemination workshop with policy
makers in Kathmandu.
Period
June- December, 2008
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2.
Promoting
the Voice of voice-less for Conflict-resolution and Empowerment
(Pro-Voice)
Background
After the People’s
Movement of April, 2006 and Madheshi Movement of January, 2007,
dynamics of the conflict in Nepal have been changed from
political ideologies to the ethnic and identity-based conflict
such as the conflict of Madhesh. Government’s failure to analyze
and address the genuine issues/demands of Madheshi people (who
constitutes about the half of the total population of the
country) tending to turn Madhesh as a breeding ground for
different armed groups declaring armed-conflict again the state.
Although most of the armed groups are declared their
confrontation with the state, victims of their activities are
civilians.
In such a delicate
environment, media’s role become more important than ever in
providing neutral and authentic information to the people that
helps decelerate the conflict before it’s too late. However,
this is one of the critical gaps widely found in Nepali media
arena. Influenced by certain interest, principles and ideologies
of specific persons, groups, institutions and countries,
ordinary citizen’s voices and faces have very few media
coverage. People’s concerns, issues and agendas are, more often,
shadowed by political propaganda and over-stretched news having
less interest of the people.
The project (Pro-VoiCE)
is designed/planned to address the gap of raising the voices of
voice-less people with focus on the conflict victims of Dhanusha
district.
Goal/Objective/s
To raise public consensus over the pertinent and contemporary
issues of the conflict victims and the local communities
contributing to peace, democracy and human rights.
Activities
1. Organization
of talk program, interactions and investigation on the pertinent
and contemporary issues related to conflict victims.
2. Production
of radio program based on these activities and broadcasting in
local FM station in Maithili language.
3. Production
of sticker to publicize the radio program.
4. Digitalization
of the radio program into DVD for wider dissemination of the
program.
5. Translation
of the radio programs (episodes) into Nepali and English and
publication/dissemination of collection.
Period
Feb-May,
2008
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2.
Civic Education for the Constituent Assembly Election
Background
Election for the Constituent Assembly has emerged as the single
most critical agenda for shaping the political structure of
modern Nepal. All the political parties, including the CPN
(Maoist), have agreed to go to the people to seek their support
for legitimizing their specific political agenda for social,
political, economic, and cultural reconstruction of future
Nepal.
Civic education with focus on voters' education is a basic
pre-condition for a meaningful Constituent Assembly (CA) through
which the voters make informed rational choices to elect their
right candidates. Voters' education empowers the voters to make
the political parties more accountable to the people for the
political agenda set for the Constituent Assembly election. It
also compels the political parties to transform their
organizations to make them more inclusive. Voters from minority
communities can have very important role to play. Women voters
can influence the nomination of women candidates while the
ethnic nationalities can advocate inclusion of ethnic
representation. Dalits and Madheshi have also a good
opportunity to put forward their own agenda.
Goal/Objective/s
To empower voters to make informed
choices while electing a candidate for the Constituent Assembly
Election.
Activities
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Training
of Trainers (ToT) on
Voter Education
to local activists.
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Selection and mobilization of VDC-level
focal persons
at 60 VDCs.
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Voter Education classes/ orientations to the rural people of
60 VDCs
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Interactions/ discussion with repsentatives of political
parties during CA election on people’s issues
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Observation of CA election.
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Post election follow-up
Period
August 2007-July, 2008
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3.
Women Peace Network
(WPNet)
Background
The political
and non political power center of Nepal has always been
dominated by a limited group of people belonging to limited
linguistic communities. It is evident from the incidents in the
past that the idea of inclusive participation in the political
or non political mainstream of the country is limited to
slogans.
The Terai
which occupies about 16 % of Nepal’s total geographical area is
home to more than 48% of the country population4.
Since the Madheshi Movement of January 2007,
various groups
in the region have been demanding for freedom from all kinds of
social, economical and political suppression and discrimination
carried out against them by the state in the past and Madheshi
people should be able to enjoy equal opportunities and equal
rights as that by the people of any other region in the country.
Siraha,
Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rauthat, Bara and Parsa districts
fall under the 20 districts of Terai. The condition of these
districts is worse than other Terai district from security and
development point of view. Moreover, a policy that practically
recognizes and solves their problems, advocates for equal rights
to the rural women and women belonging to religious minorities,
dalits, indigenous groups and conflict victims, is awfully
missing in this region. A motto of lasting peace can only be
accomplished after increasing the representation of women in
social, political and economic sectors of this region and
encouraging women leadership.
In order to
find a progressive and long-term solution to the above mentioned
problems occurred during or after the conflict period, it is
important to focus on the implementation part of Security
Council Resolution 1325. Considering this fact, 197 women
activists representing diverse background of minority
communities have formed a regional Women Peace Network, issued
Janakpur Declaration of Women, Peace and Security and
established district chapters in each of the 7 most critical
districts of eastern and central Terai districts of Nepal. They
have drafted a three year action plan under the framework of the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
Goal/Objective/s
To increase and enhance the role of
women from Terai in the peace process by identifying,
facilitating and promoting the social, economic and political
roles of women in Nepal’s eastern and central Terai.
Activities
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Awareness
raising and capacity building on women issues and women
professionals such as media personnel, development and women
human rights activists, women political activists.
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Networking and utilizing the network for advocacy and policy
dialogue.
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Economic development activites with focus on micro-grant,
micre-credit and IGA.
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Monitoring and documentation of women human rights
voilations.
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Activities aimed at promoting women access to information
and communications.
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Raising
women issues in the constitution making process.
Period
Feb 2008-Jan 2010
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