By Indira Gurung | President, SASANE
An amazing grassroots organization in Nepal called Samrakshak Samuha Nepal (SASANE) (www.sasane.org.np) is dedicated to empowering women human trafficking survivors by training them to become certified paralegals. SASANE’s paralegals provide access to justice, completely free of charge, for other women who are survivors of trafficking and gender-based violence in 25 police stations across Kathmandu and 6 police stations in Pokhara. SASANE’s paralegals also conduct education and awareness training in remote villages and government schools in Nepal in order to combat human trafficking and gender-based violence at its source. SASANE started the paralegal program in 2008, and to date has trained a total of 175 certified paralegals.
In 2014, SASANE placed 45 paralegal interns in different police stations for the practical course of the paralegal training program. 30 survivors were in the program in Kathmandu and 15 survivors were in the first class of the newly formed Pokhara program. 3 of the 30 girls in the Kathmandu program chose not to sit for the examination on the 15th of February, but of the 27 paralegal interns who took the examination, 23 passed and are now certified paralegals. 20 of these paralegals are working in police stations in the Kathmandu Valley until the end of July. The other 3 paralegals are working in SASANE’s Sisterhood of Survivors program, where they are being trained in the tourism and hospitality industry. The 15 paralegal interns in Pokhara are still awaiting the court to set a date for their examination. In June 2014, SASANE will be providing the paralegal training to a new group of 45 trafficking survivors. Every year, SASANE selects 45 girls and provides them with this training in order to make them economically sustainable. Through this program, survivors receive trauma counseling, while at the same time gaining legal knowledge and justice.
This project has the objective of the survivor helping the survivor. With the help of donors, SASANE can become more sustainable and provide aid to even more survivors, as well as other at-risk women and children. Financial support also gives SASANE and survivors much needed encouragement to continue helping others who have suffered at the hands of traffickers. SASANE needs the support of donors to thrive, succeed, and expand.
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