Project Background/Introduction:

The decade-long civil war in Nepal left deep scars, with tens of thousands killed, tortured, injured, or disappeared. Gross human rights violations were committed by both sides. Transitional justice (TJ) efforts have stalled, leaving conflict victims underserved and underrepresented. This program, based on International Alert’s analysis with local representatives, aims to address these issues, particularly in Madhesh, Karnali, and Lumbini provinces. The program will promote a credible, victim-centered TJ process, strengthen local civil society, and empower victims through mentorship, entrepreneurship, and psychosocial support.

Funding Partner:

DRL/International Alert

Project Areas:

• Lahan Municipality, Karjanha Municipality & Dhangadhimai Municipality (Siraha District)
• Balan Bihul Rural Municipality & Kanchanrup Municipality (Saptari District)
• Bardibas Municipality (Mahottari District)

Objectives:

• Strengthen the capacity of local government and civil society to document, archive, and preserve victims’ stories for truth, justice, reconciliation, and memorialization, focusing on marginalized groups.
• Enhance advocacy and education initiatives to hold governments accountable for reparations and memorialization, promoting learning from past conflicts.
• Empower marginalized conflict victims, survivors, and their families to participate in safe TJ processes reflecting their needs.

Implementation Approaches:

• Community Engagement
• Collaboration
• Advocacy/Lobby

Expected Outputs:

• Systematic documentation, archiving, and dissemination of conflict victims' stories for truth, justice, reconciliation, and memorialization.
• Strengthened locally-led advocacy and education initiatives supporting a victim-centered TJ process.
• Increased socio-economic empowerment and psychosocial wellbeing of conflict victims, enabling effective participation in reparative justice processes.

Key Achievements:

• Formation of municipal-level citizenship networks for advocacy and lobbying.
• Network members leading local advocacy efforts.
• Municipal endorsement of conflict victim guidelines.
• Collection of conflict victim data by municipalities.
• Provision of free education to 27 students from conflict victims' families.
• Skill development training for 6 conflict victims.
• Advocacy for reparative justice led by network members.
• Municipal branches linking conflict victims with free education, health support, and policy formulation.
• Publication of conflict victims' issues in newspapers.
• Increased hope among conflict victims for reparative justice.

Beneficiaries Reach:

342 conflict victims

Challenges:

• Political interests pose major challenges.

Learnings:

• Increased engagement of local and provincial governments is needed to address conflict issues and manage reparative justice.
• Changing the mindset of conflict victims takes time.
• Linking conflict victims with entrepreneurship development is essential for their dignity.