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DE RUEHKT #0142/01 0491128
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P 181128Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1452

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000142 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM NP
SUBJECT: EMBASSY KATHMANDU'S S/GWI PROJECT PROPOSALS 
 
REF: SECSTATE 132094 
 
The following are, in rank order, Embassy Kathmandu's 
proposals submitted to the Secretary's Office of Global 
Women's Issues Small Grants Initiative: 
 
¶1. Reconciliation: Voices and Experiences of 
Conflict-Affected Women (Himalayan Human Rights Monitors - 
HimRights) 
 
---------- 
Background 
---------- 
The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord in November 
2006 brought a formal end to the decade-long armed conflict 
between Maoist rebels and government forces, during which 
some 13,000 people lost their lives.  Countless others 
suffered physical, emotional and psychological injuries.  All 
segments of society were victimized, but the conflict took a 
disproportionate toll on poor and/or socially excluded 
members of society.  One such vulnerable group was the women 
and girls caught between the warring parties.  Some women 
joined the Maoists due to their political ideology and for 
perceived social justice; however, others were forcefully 
recruited for which they suffered physically and 
psychologically.  The Maoists forced women to provide them 
with food and lodging, and state security forces imprisoned, 
tortured and killed them for it.  Sexual abuse and rape was 
one of the favored tools of war.  As Secretary Clinton has 
noted, the use of sexual violence is a "crime against 
humanity," and all those who abet such violence and permit 
impunity to continue "harm not only individuals, families, 
villages and regions, but shred the very fabric that weaves 
us together as human beings." 
 
The social fabric of Nepal remains weakened because most of 
the women and girls who were raped or sexually abused do not 
want to speak about it for fear of losing dignity and 
respect. In Nepal, women's chastity and sexual faithfulness 
are of immense importance for family honor and reputation. In 
most cases, girls and women who are sexually abused or raped 
are viewed with contempt and blamed.  As a result, there is a 
culture of silence amongst victimized women.  Carrying these 
painful secrets seriously affects the women's well-being. 
However, these effects are poorly documented.  Shame, 
self-contempt and hate may consume women and cause them to 
resort to violence themselves.  In a recent workshop 
conducted by Himalayan Human Rights Monitors (HimRights), 
survivors stated that they wanted revenge and, in the wake of 
government inaction, wanted to take violent measures to 
address their needs. 
 
A UN staffer told HimRights she had worked in many 
conflict-affected countries, but has never seen a situation 
comparable to the one in Nepal, where the silence about the 
conflict-affected, particularly women and girls who were 
sexually abused and raped, is deafening.  It is absolutely 
critical that programs that support and give voice to victims 
of gender-based violence be implemented.  An essential 
element would be the systematic recording of war-time acts of 
violence against women and children. 
 
--------------- 
Project Summary 
--------------- 
Women and girls were one of the hardest hit groups during the 
armed conflict; unfortunately, their needs have neither been 
highlighted nor addressed.  Even though documentation of 
human rights violation against women has increased, 
violations against the conflict-affected remain ignored. 
This project would begin documenting the magnitude of 
gender-based violence cases that took place during the 
conflict. The aim is to give women a platform to be visible 
and heard, create the empathetic environment needed for 
reconciliation and collect the evidence necessary to force 
policy makers to take the issues and concerns of 
conflict-affected women seriously.  Multiple activities will 
be undertaken over 14 months to achieve these goals, 
including compiling hundreds of case profiles, creating radio 
programming, organizing a national policy dialogue, and 
conducting media sensitivity training. 
 
------------------- 
Project Description 
----------------- 
Objectives: 
- Highlight and mainstream the prevalence and magnitude of 
gender-based human rights violations; 
- Support women victims of armed conflict; 
- Create a platform for conflict-affected women to voice 
their issues and experiences; 
- Hold stakeholders accountable for past human rights 
violations; 
- Create an empathetic environment for women affected by the 
armed conflict; 
- Promote the meaningful participation of conflict-affected 
women in the peace process; and 
- Make conflict-affected women aware of transitional justice 
mechanisms at both the national and international level. 
 
Activities: 
 
- Documentation of case stories of women affected by armed 
conflict. Collect 300 profiles of women affected by armed 
conflict in three districts severely affected by the conflict 
(Kailali, Bardia, and Bara).  There will be 60 in-depth case 
studies, focusing on the use of sexual abuse and rape, which 
will further illuminate the magnitude and impact of conflict 
on women.  This data will be used to more effectively lobby 
and advocate with policymakers and civil society 
organizations for policies and programs that support 
conflict-affected women; and to ensure that well-intended 
policies and programs are effective.  This information will 
be submitted to the National Human Rights Commission, UN 
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the 
Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, and the Ministry of 
Women, Children and Social Welfare to solicit support and 
action and to influence the draft National Plan of Action. 
This information could be used as evidence for the Truth and 
Reconciliation Commission. 
 
Process: Identification of the victims will take place during 
the first quarter, and will be based on existing HimRights 
Lifeline reports, recent research reports, information and 
data from relevant organizations and human rights network. A 
profile format will be prepared, and the field team will be 
given an orientation on how to document cases. 
 
- Publish a graphic book that shares in an anonymous way the 
experiences of women survivors of sexual abuse during the 
armed conflict. This graphic book will be based on the 
realities and experiences of 60 women from the three 
districts selected for documentation and other conflict 
affected districts. The story told in the book will address 
the impact of conflict on women, as well as what justice, 
restitution, and reconciliation means for them and existing 
mechanisms. The graphic book will be a tool to voice these 
women's realities to a larger audience anonymously, so that 
victims are protected from potential humiliation and contempt 
from society for being the victims of rape and other gender 
based violence.  The process of making this book is also 
intended to be a healing experience for the survivors, build 
their self-image, and purge victims of a desire to take 
revenge.  (Note. HimRights, with financial support from 
UNICEF, developed a similar book based on the experience of 
conflict-affected children, which was very well-received.) 
 
Process: The graphic book process will take place between the 
2nd and 4th quarters.  As women will have many 
responsibilities, the project timing will be planned in 
consultation with the women. A stipend will be provided as 
most women must work for their sustenance. 
 
Phase I (7 days, 50 participants):  This pictorial book will 
be based on the individual stories of survivors woven into 
one story. They can share their stories in drawings, oral 
stories, poems, and songs. The sessions in this phase include 
drawing classes and seminars on the root causes of conflict; 
structural violence; victim and revenge cycles; importance of 
psycho-social counseling; individual experiences and its 
impact; and justice, restitution reconciliation for them. 
Selection criteria will be an inclusive process that takes 
geographic and ethnic diversity, as well as a diversity of 
stories related to the conflict into consideration. 
 
Phase II (7 days 20 participants):  Fine tune the story and 
work on the graphic book done during Phase 1. Women will be 
selected based upon their skill in illustration, dialogue, 
and story writing in a participatory process. 
 
Phase III (7 days 8 participants):  During this phase, the 
graphic book will be finalized, the story and illustrations 
will be edited and gaps in the story will be worked out. 
 
- Develop a national radio program for women to share their 
experiences.  Women's voices, realities and experiences will 
be recorded for a radio program. The stories told by the 
women will underscore the need to take immediate action on 
reparation and restitution.  Furthermore, they will generate 
empathy for survivor of gender-based violence during the 
conflict. Radio is the most popular communications medium in 
Nepal, which would make the stories accessible even in remote 
areas. 
 
Process:  Compelling stories will be selected from the 300 
profiles documented (Activity 1) and the comic book process 
(Activity 2), and radio programs will be produced based on 
them. Information on the national and international 
transitional justice mechanisms will be incorporated into the 
content of the program as well. 
 
- Organize an exhibition of artwork, poetry, stories created 
by women survivors.  The four-day exhibition, which would 
coincide with either International Women's Day or 
International Human Rights Day, is intended to highlight 
violence during the armed conflict and generate empathy for 
survivors. 
 
- Hold a national-level policy dialogue.  The two-day 
National Policy Dialogue (NPD) will bring together women 
affected by conflict with officials from key policymakers. 
This will be a platform for survivors of gender-based 
violence to interact with policy makers at the highest level. 
The dialogue will focus on the issues, problems, concerns, 
and realities of women affected by conflict, and commitments 
with respect to policies, programs, and the National Plan of 
Action will be sought from the relevant ministries. 
Attendees will include participants from 5 regions from 
activities 1, 2, and 3. Key stakeholders will be invited to 
participate. 
 
Process: The first day will be orientation for the 
participants to share their issues and concerns and how to 
raise them systematically and effectively. In the second day 
participants will raise their issues and concerns and 
dialogue with the representatives of the Ministry of Peace 
and Reconstruction; the Ministry of Women, Children and 
Social Welfare; the Ministry of Law; the Ministry of Health; 
the Ministry of Finance; National Women's Commission; 
National Human Rights Commission; National Planning 
Commission; Constituent Assembly members/Parliamentarians, 
and TRC members. The event will take place during the 4th 
quarter. 
 
- Media training to sensitize journalists.  Thirty 
journalists will be brought together for training to ensure 
gender- sensitive reporting especially regarding gender-based 
violence during the conflict. The training will examine the 
root causes of the conflict, what women faced during the 
conflict, and how to report stories sensitively. The training 
will also emphasize the importance of the media in creating 
an empathetic environment for victims of gender-based 
violence and ensuring that victims have access to justice. 
 
Process: The three-day training will take place between the 
second and third quarters. 
 
----------------------- 
Monitoring & Evaluation 
--------------------- 
Local offices will conduct periodic visits and central 
offices will visit bi-annually.  Successful compensation 
cases and changes in policies will be documented.  An 
external evaluator will do the social audit. Two measures 
will be used to assess the program's effectiveness.  First, 
the direct impact of programs for survivors will be assessed. 
 Among survivors, we hope to see the building of friendship 
and trust, reduction in the need for revenge, increased 
forgiveness, smoother reintegration, transition beyond 
victimhood, healed physical injuries, positive self-image and 
increased confidence.  Second, we will assess the degree to 
which the stories of conflict-affected women create an 
empathetic environment regarding gender-based violence, more 
generally, and legal and policy reform that is sensitive to 
gender-based violence. 
 
------ 
Budget 
------ 
Documentation at District Level 
$11,729.73 
 
Graphic Book on voices and experience of women in armed 
conflict 
$ 35,154.05 
 
Radio Program 
$ 11,486.49 
 
National Policy Dialogue 
$ 4,209.42 
 
Exhibition artwork 
$  1,716.22 
 
Follow Up, Monitoring and Evaluation 
$  4,432.43 
 
Administration 
$ 26,297.30 
 
Overhead Cost 
$  4,751.28 
 
Total 
$ 99,776.96 
 
(See note at end of cable.) 
 
-------------------------------- 
HimRights Organizational Profile 
-------------------------------- 
Mission Statement: To promote justice, equity, and social 
inclusion to ensure the basic human rights of marginalized 
people. 
 
History of the Organization: Himalayan Human Rights Monitors 
(HimRights) is a non-governmental, non-partisan, and 
non-profit organization committed to defending the rights of 
poor, marginalized and socially excluded communities and 
individuals, with a special focus on women, children and 
youth. HimRights works in affiliation with major national and 
international human rights institutions, pursuing a 
three-fold approach of (1) monitoring and reporting; (2) 
responding to human rights violations; and (3) advocating and 
training for policy change, influence, awareness raising, and 
capacity improvement to cope with and respond to changing 
human rights dynamics in Nepal.  HimRights was informally 
formed in the mid-1990s and was officially registered in 
¶1999.  The current team consists of lawyers, teachers, 
journalists, anthropologists, conflict and development 
specialists, social workers and human rights activists. 
Together, these individuals bring decades of individual and 
collective professional experience to HimRights, enabling 
HimRights to work effectively in the areas of human rights, 
trafficking, good governance, conflict mitigation, 
reconciliation, and peace building. 
 
Organizational Capacity:  HimRights has capable and committed 
human resources from various disciplines.  Their team has a 
conflict transformation and peace building expert, human 
rights defenders, anthropologists, sociologists, journalists 
(electronic/print), social mobilizers, trainers, and lawyers. 
HimRights has offices in 7 districts (Makawanpur, Bara, 
Ratahat, Parsa, Banke, Sarlahi and Saptari), a central office 
in Kathmandu with a full-time staff of 36 people, 738 members 
of Surveillance Groups (Makawanpur and Bara) and Village 
Mediation Groups (Banke) at the village level, 12 Focal 
Points/part time staffs in Dhankuta, Saptari, Dhanusha, 
Kavre, Sindhupalchwok, Maygdi, Kapivastu, Rolpa, Dang, 
Kailalia, Achham and Mugu. Well-trained, locally inclusive 
staffs and field monitors for documentation of human rights 
violation are also part of the HimRights team. Moreover, 
HimRights has maintained a good network and coordination with 
concerned agencies during and after the armed conflict. 
 
HimRights affiliated networks: Partnerships for Protecting 
Children in Armed Conflict; National Working Committee on 
Disappearances; Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination 
Committee; Human Rights Alliance; NGO Federation; Alliance 
Against Trafficking of Women in Nepal; Beyond Beijing 
Committee; 1612 Task Force Monitoring & Reporting Mechanism; 
South Asia Women's Watch; and Asia Pacific Women's Watch. 
 
Programming Experience: HimRights has successfully 
implemented a range of community and national-based programs 
to advance human rights, gender justice, women's empowerment, 
child rights, campaign for peace, genuine and participatory 
democracy, and people-centered development. As such, the 
HimRights team is confident in its capacity to implement the 
proposed project in a way that is fiscally responsible, 
educational for key stakeholders and the general population, 
and empowering for the women that are involved in the 
project. 
 
 
¶2. Combating Gender-Based Violence, Strengthening Human 
Rights Protections (Utsaha Nepal) 
 
---------- 
Background 
---------- 
Human trafficking and gender-based violence (GBV) are 
serious, widespread problems in Nepal, the magnitude of which 
is increasing.   It is estimated 10,000 to 12,000 women and 
girls are trafficked every year to India and Gulf countries 
for commercial sexual exploitation.  Thousands of others are 
trafficked domestically each year for the same purpose. 
Among the many deleterious effects of this trafficking is 
exposure to HIV/AIDS.   Many people point to the high level 
of GBV in Nepal as the chief factor behind the recent 
emergence of suicide as the leading cause of death of women 
15 to 49.  The vulnerability of women and girls is fueled by 
gender discrimination and a lack of awareness, economic 
opportunities and livelihood skills. 
--------------- 
Project Summary 
------------- 
This project aims to reduce gender-based violence (GBV), 
particularly human trafficking, and strengthen human rights 
protections for women and girls, while creating economic 
opportunities that will reduce their vulnerability to GBV 
It will focus on six trafficking-prone districts where there 
is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS.   The project will be 
carried out by Utsaha Nepal, a non-governmental organization 
whose membership comprises women who are trafficking 
survivors and/or HIV-positive. 
 
------------------- 
Project Description 
------------------- 
This project, which will target the most at-risk populations, 
has two inter-dependent components.  The first is aimed at 
reducing GBV, particularly trafficking, and the second will 
focus on strengthening human rights protections for women and 
girls.  Activities include: 
 
- Increasing public awareness about both gender-based 
discrimination and violence and the existing legal 
protections against them. (Note: In 2009, the Government of 
Nepal enacted a comprehensive domestic violence law and 
developed a national action plan for Year Against 
Gender-Based Violence, 2010.)  This will be done through 
street dramas and the publication and distribution of 
pamphlets, posters and other material. 
 
- Providing counseling services for women and children 
affected by GBV.  Trained counselors will be hired, and their 
services will be linked to referral services for possible 
legal prosecutions. 
 
- Conducting health camps, in partnership with other 
organizations, with an emphasis on HIV-screening. 
 
- Conducting leadership training for women.  Resource persons 
from various backgrounds will be contacted to provide 
leadership and capacity-building training to the target 
population. 
 
The second component aims to provide livelihood skills and 
economic opportunities to women and girls whose 
impoverishment makes them vulnerable to GBV.  Increased 
economic opportunity builds self-esteem, which in turn leads 
women and girls to advocate for wider rights. Activities 
include: 
 
- Conducting life-skill training programs linked to 
micro-financing.  The micro-credit loans will ensure that 
learned skills are transformed into sustainable 
entrepreneurship. 
 
These activities will be carried out over 18 months in six 
trafficking-prone districts that also have a high HIV 
infection rate: Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchowk, Dhading, 
Kavrepalanchowk, and Chitwan. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Performance Measures of Desired Outcomes 
---------------------------------------- 
Reducing GBV, strengthening human rights protections of women 
and children, and creating greater economic opportunities are 
outcomes that are not immediately perceptible, and as such 
makes it difficult to establish meaningful performance 
measures. 
 
------ 
Budget 
------ 
The total budget for this project is $54,198. (See note at 
end of cable.) 
 
----------------------------------- 
Utsaha Nepal Organizational Profile 
------------------------------- 
Utsaha Nepal was established in 2008 with the broad mission 
of combating human trafficking, safeguarding women's rights 
through empowerment, and liberating HIV/AIDS survivors from 
social stigma and discrimination.  Membership of the 
Kathmandu-based group comprises women who are trafficking 
survivors and/or HIV-positive.  Their background will 
facilitate connection with the project's target population. 
Utsaha Nepal was set up with support and guidance from Maiti 
Nepal, the largest and most successful anti-trafficking 
organization in Nepal.   As a nascent organization, it is 
still building its technical and management capacity.  Maiti 
Nepal, which has successfully executed a number of USG-funded 
programs, has pledged support for this project. 
 
---------------- 
 
Grant Management 
---------------- 
Post's Economic Officer, whose portfolio includes human 
trafficking and gender-based violence, will manage these two 
grants in close cooperation with USAID's subject experts. 
The EO will also work with USAID's Office of Programs and 
Projects Development to ensure that these projects, if 
funded, complement, wherever possible, other USG-funded 
projects. 
 
Note: Post will forward detailed budgets for both projects 
via e-mail. 
CAMP