A community based initiative against Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Exploitation of children and women in the Midwestern Region of Nepal, - Irada Gautam

Lack of awareness and ignorance about issues are highly prevalent. Incidents were too often unheard/hidden due to fear of stigma, prestige and safety. Aawaaj is pioneering to establish community care and support mechanisms against child sexual abuse and violence towards children and women in rural areas. Community support groups (including men, women and children) are created to raise awareness on sexual abuse, to increase reporting and provide emotional support to children/women. Networking and cooperation between the local groups and services, organizations, authorities are developed. The project empowers the community’s capacity to find community based solutions and to manage violence. Throughout the project, the communities are facilitated in decision-making and action processes to take responsibility for their own lives.

Key principles:- A belief in the capacity of individuals and communities to manage their own affairs, to

identify both needs and resources, when given support and when they are empowered to do so undermine the action. Only interventions that are culturally appropriate will be effective.

- The community to be served must be involved at every stage of programme development, from planning through implementation to evaluation.

- Community Resilience: assessment determines the strengths and potential within individuals and the community, not just the problems. Resources within the communities need to be determined from the outset.

- Wherever possible, at all stages within the project, personnel from within the communities should be the most active. They have the shared language, culture and life experience.

- Care should be taken not to introduce resources that cannot be sustained.- The coordinator/staff needs to respond to the situation rather than moving in with a

pre-conceived plan of action. The appropriate position to assume is that of catalyst, not expert. Agency staffs need support in allowing the community to lead programme development, while they themselves take on a catalytic, guiding, training, and monitoring role. Staff must serve the community, not control it.

Where community ownership is present, community members will be able to sustain their activities over the long term from the support they mobilize internally or access externally.

It has been learned the following Lesson learned to work on child sexual abuse in community level:

One of the most important things is initiation; with out initiation community is not ready to raise voice against hidden issue or issue of those who are sufferer from violence.

If we conduct massive awareness program in community the hidden issues easily come out and start to listen add raise voice, believe and trust that it happens.

When community easily accepted to talk on sexual abuse then discuss and interact with child, family and school.

If we provide good service and work on the reality, community ready to support and feel responsible too.

When communities feel their responsibility then become sensitive to protect child from child sexual abuse and other violence. They bring out those cases from community, do referral and take legal process too.

When children organize the program themselves they feel responsible and are more effective.

Peer education is more effective to share and discuss and to avoid their own confusion. If we give priority and being sensitive about the activities which are doing by children

they can raise voice and implement program strongly. If we concerns about best interest of children they can easily readjust and come down

normal situation. If the children get knowledge in the primary level it is more effective and use in

practical. They completely ensure about what is right and wrong, which support them to protect their right and save their future from dark to bright.

Gathering of children and conducting competition program support to promote children participation, self confidence and ensure their right.

Frequently, discussion, orientation, coordination and workshop with stake holders make them sensitive and supportive.

If we provide space to share problem people easily come and share if they are deprived from justice and getting right.

The following tools are more effective to prevent child sexual abuse.

Mass awareness raise through media, songs, drama, poster, Pham plate, hording board, wall paint, rally,

Awareness through community mobilization by discussion, interaction training , meeting sharing with parents, existing group in community, women, men children, teachers, stakeholders, political parities, security force.

Awareness in districts level by the meeting, workshop, interaction and collaboration. Conducting schooling program like speech competition, drawing, poem, debate, drama

song. Publication bulletin, related materials, distributes books in school and clubs. Coordination with district and VDC level stakeholders. Build trust and believe in community and family, Listen seriously and sensitively Provide good service from beginning to end. Work on the reality. Concerns on the best need and interest of sufferers. Individual, group and family counseling, Politely dealing Coordination, collaboration and linkage , Involvement in networking and alliance. Lobbing and advocacy on legal process Frequently updating on legal process CRC, international convention / protocol and constitution, national children acts are

using as legal weapons for legal and social justice.

How the promotion of participation of children in reality : Providing spaces to children through CFS and formulating FGD in schools Encourage to involve in community support mechanism

Children are responsible in planning and implementation programs like street drama, competition ( speech, poem, debate ,drawing song game )program, awareness rising program.

Child participants in all program of aawaaj like radio program, community mediation, awareness raising, competition programs, meeting and seminar, interviews

They involve in follow up a monitoring of those children and women who are getting benefit referring by children.

We give more priority to provide service those children and women who are recommended by the child clubs, groups, FGD groups and getting services from aawaaj.

Child competitions are observed by children themselves. Aawaaj appoints the staffs who were involved in child clubs in childhood. Children work as volunteers of aawaaj, writes the report , refer the cases in aawaaj Aawaaj support those activities which are organize specially by children Aawaaj organize activities special focus education getting and FGD and CFS, Support to publish children creative and article in aawaaj bulletin. CFS children , frequently visit musium and historical places Children are equally involved in decision making and planning as a member of

community support mechanism. Children participate in all awareness’ raise program like training, discussion,

interaction and orientation Providing sharing and gathering spaces, give priority children need and interest Meeting with parents, teacher and children together Providing scholarship materials directly to children as per their demand. Providing spaces to marginalized children through Child friendly spaces( CFS) and

tuition centre and formulating Focus group discussion in schools

Children are participants as adults in community support mechanism training against violence

Organize various competition programs to show their talent, capacity and awarded.

Children are responsible in planning and implementation programs like street drama, competition (speech, poem, debate, and drawing song game) program, awareness raising program.

Children participate in all program like radio program, community mediation, awareness raising, competition programs, meeting and seminar, interviews

Children are involved in follow up and monitoring of those children and women who are getting benefit and referring by children.

Aawaaj give more priority to provide services for those children and women who are recommended by the child clubs, child FGD groups

Aawaaj has six staffs who were involved in child clubs during their school time.

Organization is set up in child friendly manner and staffs are trained to be safe and friendly with children.

Children work as volunteers of Aawaaj and support to publish children creative and articles, poems and published in Aawaaj annual bulletin

Aawaaj support those activities which are organize specially by children

Aawaaj organize activities special focused to those who are getting scholarship, and FGD group and children in CFS,

Children are equally involved in decision making and planning as a member of community support mechanism.

Children participate in all awareness program like training, discussion, interaction and orientation and facilitating for sharing experiences

Meeting with parents, teacher and children together and listen children’s interest

Children capacity has been strengthened to express their views in different forum. So far Children’s participation has been involved;

Design: identified issues with children and develop action plan together to address the issues

Implementation: As per action plan, children are involved and doing awareness activities through debate program, street drama, song competition or counseling to peers, identifying the problems of violence and referring to Aawaaj as necessary.

Monitoring: Children are involved to analyze what changes happen at individual, group and community level from project work.

Evaluation: while we do evaluation of project they are consulted in process.

We think the participation of children is appropriate in all stages of the projects as they are right holder and if they are involved from designing to monitoring of the project that will help for empowering and be sustain for the lasting benefits of children.