Talk and action for justice

Nepal is a country where a lot of talk happens. That talk is not always followed by constructive action and the area of women’s rights and justice for women is certainly an area like this.Laws to protect women’s rights have been passed but many have not been implemented and the story of one of the woman who recently turned to us for help is sadly typical.She arrived very early one morning when, ironically, we were working on a chatty, happy blog entry about New Year’s Day. This stopped abruptly when she entered the room bleeding and crying.Early that morning, her estranged husband had gone to the place where she was staying with her children and attacked her viciously with a heavy bottle. She was knocked unconscious and taken by neighbours to hospital where she had stitches and was kept until she regained consciousness. She approached us for support going to the police.Kopila accompanied her to the police and the long process ahead of her described. It is not always easy and the process is sometimes made more difficult to perhaps dissuade people. Even at the best of times the process is time consuming and if the police agree to arrest the person, the victim has to contact the police to let them know when and where they will be able to make the arrest. The police do not take the initiative in making the arrest and it may not happen if the victim does not know the accurate whereabouts of the person. For a start.Then, this woman, in her very vulnerable state, was advised about a "social worker" who, for a hefty fee which she can not afford, would "help" her go through the process. This is yet another form of exploitation and the process should not be so corrupt or difficult that this kind of thing is required. She paid the "social worker" and no doubt things will happen at the pace they would have happened at anyway. Justice may or may not be done.Samunnat is committed to educating women about their rights and the processes so they are not so vulnerable. We do this via training programs and the media. The radio is a very effective way of doing this and the photo shows Kopila in action in a recent radio interview about women’s access to justice. You can tell it is a problem! There is still a VERY long way to go.