Projects and Activities
Breaking the silence against child sexual abuse - Nepal
Changing social norms, perceptions and practise to fight against on sexual abuse, trafficking and domestic violence towards children and women in rural Nepal
3 districts in Midwest Nepal (Bardiya, Dailekh, Surkhet)
Background
In the mid-western region of Nepal, a large number of children and women suffer from sexual abuse, exploitation and domestic violence and are deprived of their basic rights. In rural areas, families and communities have a tendency to deny and conceal different forms of violence. Such an attitude tends to perpetuate violence and encourages the perpetrator to commit more abuse.
Nepalese society is very patriarchal and women and children are dominated and demeaned in several ways. Children are sometimes abused by their own families as well as in schools, by service providers and in wider societal systems. Girls are particularly ill-treated. Social, religious and cultural discriminatory practices start even before birth and continue until death. Girls and women are forced to live in silence and do not testify about their suffering. Their low status prevents them from speaking openly of their abuse for fear of being negatively labelled or kicked out of their homes.
Moreover, Nepali culture prohibits any kind of discussion on sexuality.
Objectives
To change mentalities and attitudes towards sexual abuse and domestic violence in Northwest Nepal, by empowering local communities to create an environment conducive to the protection of children and women’s rights.Bice Asia's intervention and main results
The strategy of prevention, reporting violence and managing violence is tackled through the empowerment of the community, including women and children.Awareness-raising on sexual abuse and violence, rights of women and children
As the issue deals with important social taboos and is therefore very sensitive, the project seeks to sensitize the key players at all levels of society: community members (girls, boys, parents, teachers, existing groups of men and women), professionals (lawyers, judges, teachers, medical staff, police, conductors and drivers, NGOs) and authorities in order to break the myths and raise awareness on the needs of those who are vulnerable.Supporting vulnerable children, girls and women in their home communities, ideally with their families through community empowerment
AAWAAJ seeks to raises these issues in rural communities by helping the creation of community support groups to speak out against child sexual abuse, exploitation and domestic violence. Such activities will help raise community awareness on preventing sexual abuse, reporting instances of abuse and provide emotional support to children/women in society and help for further protection. The project seeks to strengthen the community’s capacity to find community based solutions and to manage violence and abuse. Community members, including children and women, are thus actively involved in the activities of the project in their own community (raising awareness, advocacy, and mutual support). The project also works specifically with men and boys to prevent discriminating behaviour and enlist them to the cause. By implicating the community as a whole, lasting changes occur in the social construction of the community.
Building self confidence and self esteem in women and children to bring positive changes in their lives
The project is based on the belief that children and women can be the main agents of change in the process of ending discriminations. Therefore, a particular emphasis is given to the promotion of woman and child participation so that they can decide by themselves on issues affecting them throughout the project activities. This also includes providing victims access to services such as counseling (with a emphasis on the promotion of resilience), legal, medical and temporary support in a crisis centre, as well as direct support (professional training, support to carry out income generating activities, etc.) to families and children particularly at risk to decrease their vulnerability and sustain their income, giving them the opportunity to build a normal life.
Strengthening collaboration and networking among local organisations, services and authorities
In order to successfully ‘break the silence’ on abuse and exploitation, apart from the genuine implication of communities, it is necessary to work at a national and regional level to mainstream the issue in all development agencies, in order to achieve effective change in legislation and in policy.
