Nepal’s JusticeMakers Fellow Ram Bhandari had an article published in the Nepali Times. Click to view his guest column here. Ram is using his Justicemakers grant within his community to educate citizens on their legal rights. During the Nepali armed conflict in 2001, Ram’s father was amongst those who disappeared without a trace. Driven by this and his constructive, peaceful approach, Ram used his JusticeMakers grant to create the Committee for Social Justice. The committee was created to help citizens better understand the Nepalese criminal justice system, thereby improving their access to justice. Citizens are informed of their rights through public dialogues and discussions.

JusticeMakers Fellow Ram Bhandari whose article was published as a guest column in the Nepali Times.

Ram focuses on speaking out and supporting those living in rural regions of Nepal. These regions are under-represented and the government tends to concentrate its efforts of justice and reconciliation in urban areas. The published article by Ram emphasises justice as a key tool to ensuring long-term peace being maintained in Nepal.

On Tuesday, September 22^nd, The Committee for Social Justice - JusticeMaker Ram Kumar Bhandari’s organization – as well as SANGYA (another NGO based in Kathmandu) collaborated to host a discussion on the review of Nepal’s transitional justice process.  The meeting was held at the Centre for Constitutional Dialogue in Kathmandu and many people from national and international NGO’s as well as victim’s families attended the meeting.  This meeting, the first of its kind since the peace agreement was signed in 2006, was very important due to the current state of the movement for information regarding the whereabouts of disappeared citizens.  Families have been waiting many years for answers about their loved ones and despite many promises, no information has been disclosed by State or Maoist forces.  Ultimately the participants reached the conclusion that its time for the government to take the necessary steps towards investigating the disappearances, starting with the formation  of the disappearance commission that has been promised for the past three years.

On Friday September 18^th, JusticeMaker Ram Kumar Bhandari conducted an essay competition at the Ganga Milan secondary school in Chandisthan VDC of Lamjung district.  The topic of the competition was “The Role of Youth Students in Controlling Social Crimes”.  The 11 participants from classes 9 and 10 were responsible for preparing their essay ahead of time and then reciting it from memory in front of their peers.  Students were given 5 minutes to present their essays.  First, second, and third place were awarded as well as an honorable mention.  The winner argued that students act as a crucial link between families and their peers in school as well as the role of education in bringing an increased sense of awareness first to students and consequently to the greater community.  This program is one small example of Ram’s continued efforts to reform the criminal justice system, not only through working with the people currently involved, but reaching out to the new generations of Nepali citizens.  The improvement of education and reaching out to students at an early age will have an effective impact on such issues in the future.

In his never-ending pursuit of justice for the families and victims of Nepal’s Armed Conflict, JusticeMaker Ram Kumar Bhandari makes frequent and efficient use of Nepal’s various media. Ram gears most of his media advocacy towards radio and local and national newspapers, sources accessed by a great number of people in Nepal.  One excellent example of such advocacy came in conjunction with August 30th’s International Day of the Disappeared program in Pokhara, Nepal. On the morning of the program, Ram was invited to a local radio station in Pokhara to conduct an interview concerning his work, the day’s program, and the current state of the disappeared peoples movement. The strength of the movement is increasingly apparent through Ram’s reputation that precedes him wherever he goes. The strength of Ram’s message comes from his relentless dedication to both grass roots activism and working directly with families to understand their needs.

On August 30th, family members and representatives from the human rights community, including JusticeMaker Ram Kumar Bhandari, gathered in Pokhara, Nepal to observe International Day of the Disappeared. Each year this day is recognized in the memory of people around the world that have fallen victim to enforced disappearances. During Nepal’s Armed Conflict between 1996 and 2006, over 1,200 people were forcibly disappeared by both State and Maoist forces with the highest frequency of disappearances occurring between 2001 and 2004. It was on December 31st, 2001 that Ram Bhandari’s father disappeared from Besishahar, Lamjung. It was this event that provided the initial catalyst leading to the work that Ram pursues today. His reputation and the respect garnered by his efforts were obvious at this meeting through those that attended to hear him speak. The meeting also drew a great deal of attention from the NGO community and the media, bringing much needed attention to the plight of so many families. To this day, despite frequent promises, neither State nor Maoist forces have disclosed any information concerning the whereabouts of the missing people.

This past week, a small meeting of families that have suffered disappearances of loved ones during Nepal’s armed conflict was held in Chitwan district. About 20 people from Nawalparasi and Rupandehi districts were in attendance to discuss the formation of a small committee to speak out for their rights. These families have tried to speak out and bring attention to their cause in the past, but no one has listened. JusticeMaker Ram Bhandari attended the meeting in an advisory role to answer questions and assist the families in the formation of this committee. The resulting body, called PGID (Pressure Group for the Investigation of Disappeared Citizens) Nawalparasi, will be part of a larger regional committee called PGID Western Region. This larger committee is in the last stages of formation and will hold its first meeting in October of this year. The regional committee will consist of Lamjung, Tanahu, Gorkha, Kaski, Syanja, Dhadhing, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Baglung, Parbat, Kapilvastu districts. District committees already exist for all of these districts except Baglung, Parbat and Kapilvastu. Meetings are set to establish district level committees for these three districts in September in preparation for the larger regional meeting in October. The plan for large regional committees of families that have suffered disappearances is part of Ram’s plan to unite families across the country to advocate for family’s rights and truth and justice. The shift in mentality throughout the course of this meeting was simply amazing. At the beginning people looked very distraught and by the end everyone was happy and smiling and excited that action is finally being taken and someone is finally paying attention to their cries for help.

One significant challenge to activism in Nepal is the simple act of getting from one place to another, something many of us take for granted. Whether attending a meeting or speaking with people in the field, reaching one’s destination often involves numerous hours of travel by bus, rickshaw, foot or a combination of the three. A good example of this came this past week when I attended a meeting with JusticeMaker Ram Bhandari in Chitwan district, which lies west of Kathmandu. The journey started on Tuesday with a four-hour bus ride to Chitwan from the capital. Due to the lay of the land and the mountains, there is only one road that services all of the traffic flowing in and out of the Kathmandu Valley, meaning all overland trips follow the same initial route which is often not the most direct path. The meeting we attended was scheduled for Wednesday and required another three-hour bus trip from Baratpur, the district headquarters of Chitwan. In the end, including the return bus trip to Chitwan, attending the meeting required 10 hours of bus travel and two days. Also included in this two-day affair were several bicycle rickshaw rides that are useful in covering smaller distances, especially in the hot summer conditions.

Much of Ram’s work is conducted in the field, meeting with victim’s families and learning about their needs in relation to the disappearances that took place during Nepal’s armed conflict. In most cases it’s only possible to reach the villages on foot and depending on the distance and condition of the roads, can take a few hours or numerous days. The pictures below are a good depiction of a typical trip to a village. Overall, the challenges of travel in Nepal are numerous, but as I’ve experienced first hand, they are accepted and overcome on a daily basis.

Between 2001 and 2004 hundreds of Nepali villagers disappeared as a result of the armed conflict that occurred in Nepal during this time.  The whereabouts of many of these people are still unknown.  In response to the disappearances in his home district of Lamjung including that of his own father, Ram Bhandari founded the Committee for Social Justice (CSJ) in the spring of 2007.  CSJ’s main objective is to advocate for victim’s rights and assist families in discovering the whereabouts of their loved ones.  Ram believes deeply in the need for local level activism and began visiting villages in Lamjung during the spring of 2007 to speak with families directly affected by the disappearances and learn about their needs.  Since these initial visits, Ram has visited villages in districts all over Nepal speaking with families and exploring the same issues that he investigated in Lamjung.  CSJ has since expanded and now conducts workshops, and awareness meetings as well as continuing family visitations.  The group also acts as a community level watchdog for issues of social justice in Lamjung.  Hopefully, with the help of CSJ and other organizations working for human rights in Nepal, affected families will eventually have the justice they deserve.

Besishahar, Lamjung district headquarters where Ram’s work is based

Ram outside the home that his father built in Lamjung

Since my arrival in Kathmandu on June 15th, and subsequent first interactions with Ram Kumar Bhandari, it has been impossible to mistake the infectious nature or passion behind his particular brand of activism. Upon my arrival he was eager to discuss his work and the political situation in Nepal over tea. In the days that followed I met several of his activist friends in and around Kathmandu and continued to observe his interactions and affect on people.

Several days later, we traveled to Besishahar, the district headquarters of Lamjung, Ram’s home district in Nepal. In Besishahar it is nearly impossible to walk down the street with Ram without being stopped by numerous people who want to say hello or to sit and chat for awhile about his work and the political situation in Nepal. Ram has stated that, in his opinion, the best type of activism is simply talking with people and paying attention to the needs of the local community; especially the villages where people live often live several hours walking distance from the closest major town. This grass roots approach has allowed Ram to develop many close friendships and working relationships with people all across the activist community, from victims to fellow human rights workers. It is obvious from watching people speak with Ram that they know he cares deeply and they respect him for that.