Support for 150 Sexually Exploited Women in Nepal

Background:

Raksha Nepal in 2004 was formed by the group of young women who also were the victims of gender based violence, sexually exploited and rape victims. It is working for sexually exploited girls, women and their children. It also empowers and provides care and support to them. RN is run by women and girls who have been sexually exploited. Therefore, the organization is dedicated to those women and girls who have landed knowingly and unknowingly in the dance bars, massage parlors and cabin restaurants, where they are sexually exploited by the owners as well as the customers. RN is committed to making these women and girls aware of how to protect themselves in their current roles. RN also empowers them to build their capacity to identify alternative livelihood opportunities to start a safe and respectful life. Raksha Nepal believes that if women are confident and educated the entire family from it. This is one of the reasons that the organization is determined and committed to work towards the overall welfare of women and girls who are exploited and marginalized from the society.

Nepal being a patriarchal society, Nepali women face multiple forms of discrimination. Existing culture and legal inequalities are also some of the basis of abuse and exploitation. Women who have been working in dancebar, massage parlor, cabin restaurant as such are the most marginalized groups in the country, who face a higher risk of gender based violence than in any other job sector. This is serious issue and RN is steppeing up and working with the beneficiaries to tackle this problem in the work place violence.

Major Activities:

• Publication of quarterly news letters for wider dissemination
• Coordination meeting with the related stakeholders
• Conduct awareness classes for group members and network members
• Provide legal support to the rape victims

Activities in Details:

• Publication of quarterly news letters for wider dissemination: Raksha Nepal has published quarterly newsletters since last year. RN published various information about the organization and its working issues and also published its women groups progress. After dissemination of the newsletters the women from the different areas have benefitted because they got different information about the different services and oppertunity provided by RN and other related government organization. Raksha Nepal included information about free trainings, loan facility from cooperative, counseling services, legal support success stories and many more. Raksha Nepal published more than 5 hundred copies in nepali version in every three months. 
• Coordination meeting with the related stakeholders: Meetings and coordination with the owners and workers of the informal entertainment sectors and other related stakeholders. Raksha Nepal conducting coordination meetings with different related stakeholders in regular basis. Raksha Nepal trying to raise women issues and their voice in their issues related stakeholders. In September 16th Raksha Nepal jointly organized one coordination meeting with existing members of Constitution Assembly, security representatives, different trade union representatives, different political parties representatives, owners of the different establishments, women network members. The meeting's discussion was focused on mainly in informal entertainment sectors women and their problems along with trafficking issues. Members of parliamentry were promised and announce in important women issues. Likewise, security representatives also promise they will definitely support to solve these women issues and they already working on it. There were some trade union members and owners of the such establishments blame to security representatives about their behaviour especially when they are in duty, so they requested to make normal behaviour with women in their workplace.
• Conduct awareness classes for group members and network members: Conduct awareness classes for targeted members on human trafficking, sexual exploitation at the work place and willing to join the informal entertainment sectors. During the group meetings and organizing some different workshops Raksha Nepals staff and some hired experts facilitates them regarding the mention issues. Raksha Nepal starting the second phase of the sesions in different groups. Women were very happy and they felt very smart themselves after geting such awareness classes. The second round of awareness classes conducting in 20 women groups.
• Provide legal support to the rape victims: Raksha Nepal provide legal support for needy girls and women as and when they required. Legal support is one of the major services among the other services from the Raksha Nepal. Raksha Nepal provide this service through two ways, first, lawyers visit in women groups and providing legal awareness during their women group meetings program, and the second way of service providing is to rape vicitms. Raksha Nepal providing total free of cost legal suppor to the such type of vicitms until the case will be solved. Currenty, Raksha Nepal providing legal support to 4 vicitms of rape cases and RN also create and generate advocacy environment to the victims. 

Dear Donors/Supporters

We are very thankful for your great support to the victims. We are fighting with the various problems of women and children. Without your support we cannot do in future as well, so we appeal you all please do support us for social cause and give them peace and incourage to women, girls and children.

Thank you very much for your great support.

Ragards,