Advocacy Forum- Nepal organized a community level meeting on Transitional Justice (TJ) in Bhurigau, Bardiya District on 3 October 2020. The program held a discussion on the existing situation of TJ in Nepal and the roles and responsibilities of the Local Government. Speaking in the program, Devisara Oli, one of the participants from the victims’ group stressed that the Local Government should firstly collect the exact number of conflict victims and then should introduce income-generating trainings and reparations programs as per the need and demands of the victims. She further stressed that the Government should provide social security fund to the wives of those whose husbands were subjected to enforced disappearance or killed. A torture survivor, Maya Ram Khadka stated that the Federal, Provincial and Local Governments have not paid much attention to the demands and concerns of the victims.
Advocate Basanta Gautam from AF- Nepal facilitated the program and briefed the roles of Local Government as prescribed by law. The program was attended by 40 victims. The program stressed on the fact that the present situation of a pandemic caused by COVID-19 has exacerbated the problem for victims, as they have lost their daily source of income and the Local Government and concerned stakeholders have not addressed their concerns yet. Victims said that when the Local Government distributed the relief packages for COVID-19, the conflict victims were not even included. Thus, the meeting ended on a note that the Local Government should pay serious attention to the situation and hardship of the victims and bring programs accordingly. Victims further demanded that the long-pending TJ process should be reinvigorated with the amendment of the TRC law in line with the verdict of the Supreme Court and international standards.
