POKHARA, Dec 24: Conflict-hit women have complained of being denied justice. They shared their grievances at a province level seminar with the theme of ‘access to transitional justice for conflict-hit women’ organised here on Wednesday by Women for Human Rights, Single Women Group, Gandaki Province.
A conflict victim, Jashoda Sharma of Baglung, has for the past 19 years been looking for the return of her husband, who was disappeared in 2058 BS during the Maoist insurgency.
“I feel that my husband would return when I heard the sounds of door knocking at night. I spent 19 years waiting for him to return. I do not know when reality comes,” she lamented. The families of those who have disappeared during the insurgency have been deprived of justice despite commissions formed in this regard, she said.
A conflict-hit single woman Amrita Sigdel of Nawalpur complained that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has not heard voices of the conflict victims’ families.
Similarly, a conflict-hit single woman Manrupa Sharma of Parbat, whose husband was killed in 2061 BS during the conflict, complained that she was yet to get justice. Conflict-affected people have been deprived of justice as the mindset that raising incidents of human rights violation would affect the peace process has prevailed, she said.
On the occasion, member of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly Bindu Kumar Thapa said lately women have been united for their rights. “Lately, women have been more empowered and have started raising their voices for their rights. The state has provided concessional loans worth Rs 1.5 million each for women. Discrimination and violence against women will end once women become entrepreneurs,” he viewed.
Outgoing Regional Coordinator of Sankalp, Durga Neupane, expressed the view that the society feeling shocked when a single woman wears red is now changing.
Neupane stressed that a single woman should make her self-strength strong to uproot the remnants of so-called norms and values taking place in the society by raising the voice continuously for equitable and justifiable society.
Likewise, officer of the National Human Rights Commission, Tanka Khanal, underscored that all should involve in building human rights-friendly society to live with self-dignity.
Saying single women have been facing social, financial, mental and cultural violence and discrimination, Chairperson of Single Women Group, Gandaki, Pramila Tajhya, laid emphasis on the need of connecting single women with skill to make them self-confident with psychological counseling.
She further said that single women have been facing more problem due to situation created following COVID-19.
District Chairperson of the Group, Juna KC, shared that the Group has been organising various programmes to change the condition of single woman.
On the occasion, Programme Coordinator of INSEC, Gandaki, Sabanam Sharma, presented a working paper on practices regarding access of conflict victim woman for transitional justice to conflict victim and single women carried out so far.
Psychologist of Kosis Nepal, Jamuna Sharma, Chairperson of Civil Society network, Bishnu Baral, people’s representative of Pokhara Metropolitan City-30, Rama Nepali, put forth their views regarding the condition of conflict-victim single women.
A total of 55 conflict-victim single women of eight districts of the Province were present in the workshop.
Tajhya has been re-elected as chairperson of the Single Women Group for Human Rights, Gandaki. The second convention of the Group elected a new working committee under chairmanship of Tajhya.
Amrita Sigdel (Nawalparasi), Mina Adhikari (Gorkha) and Chinumaya Gurung (Tanahun) have been elected as vice-chairperson, secretary and treasurer of the Group. Similarly, Ajita Sharma, Khadka Kumari Khadka, Hiramati Shahi and Sabitri Thapa are the memebrs.
