Research forms an important component of WOREC’s work and provides a vital tool through which it can ascertain emerging issues, and identify the needs of communities and gaps in service provision. WOREC has been engaged in a wide variety of research projects on various social justice issues, including violence and its impact on youth, perceptions of communities about trafficking and migration, and the impact of political conflict on communities. The focus is on participatory action research which aims to work towards empowering communities, while simultaneously obtaining qualitative and quantitative data around a particular issue. The findings from research projects inform current work and practices, and provide a guide for developing advocacy campaigns.

• Fact-finding Report on Women’s Human Rights Violations in Conflict Areas

• Perceptions of Grassroots People about Human Trafficking, Migration and HIV/AIDS

• Adolescents and Youth Speak about Violence and its Impacts

Since 1996, the political violent conflict between the Maoists and the government has been escalating, a conflict which has had increasingly serious repercussions for all communities, particularly women. In December of 2002, WOREC carried out a fact-finding mission to collect information and document the cases of human rights violations of women in areas affected by the Maoist armed conflict in order to document the general situation of human rights violations within the country. Based on the field experience of WOREC staff, six districts were identified as areas which have been greatly affected by the political violence, including Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Rolpa, Salyan and Udayapur. A total of twenty researchers were divided into six monitoring groups, comprised of either two or three members. The monitoring teams focused all of their attention on the collection of first-hand information though some information was also received from security forces as well as the Maoists. Despite the dangerous situation which impeded the mission’s progress, as well as the difficulty in convincing village people that the monitoring team could be trusted, 142 cases of human rights violations concerning women’s rights were collected, cases which provide telling information into the mental, physical and emotional impacts of the conflict situation on women’s health, rights and empowerment.

The study found that there are extensive examples of individuals and families being terrorized, tortured and threatened, and that human rights violations are rampant. Because women are being made the object of revenge, they have become the targets of rape as well as sexual harassment. Activities of illegal arrest and kidnapping by both sides involved in the conflict have been dramatically increasing and it was security forces who were found to be involved in a far greater number of human rights violations than those of the insurgent group. Trust within communities is weakening daily as individuals do not feel able to rely or depend on anyone, and social and physical security is almost nonexistent. Thus the impacts are extensive and wide-ranging and include emotional and psychological impacts as well as physical impacts. It is a vital area that requires further research.

For more information about the fact-finding mission, contact WOREC at info@worecnepal.org.

In 2001, WOREC carried out a study in five districts of Nepal to provide baseline information for evaluating WOREC’s existing programs, as well as for directing the organizations’ future activities. This report is a reflection of grassroots people’s perceptions and knowledge about migration, trafficking and HIV/AIDS. A total of 2046 respondents were interviewed, of which 1907 respondents between the ages of 15 and 65 were selected for analysis of the survey data. The study revealed that migration is a necessity for many individuals in rural areas for a sustainable livelihood, particularly because of the few options for employment and income that exist for many. While there was significant awareness about trafficking, not all respondents were aware of HIV/AIDS or STDs, and nor do they fully understand the modes of transmission of such diseases. Underlying all issues was the finding that gender discrimination is prevalent at the household and community levels, a factor which has repercussions for nutrition, health, education, and risk for trafficking.

The main purpose of the study was to test the links between migration, trafficking and the incidence of HIV/AIDS. It was found that when villagers, particularly young girls and women, migrate with no information or with misinformation, there exists a high chance that they will fall victims to trafficking. These trafficked girls and women are generally sold in brothels in India, where they are forced to work in slavery-like conditions, and therefore have a high chance of becoming infected with HIV/AIDS. The findings of the survey are consistent with literature and reports dealing with the links between migration, trafficking and HIV/AIDS.

For a copy of this report, or for more information, contact WOREC at info@worecnepal.org.

In 2002, WOREC conducted a situational analysis of violence and its impact on youth in Udayapur and Morang districts. One thousand eight hundred sixty-one youth between the ages of 14 and 25 were interviewed individually and sixty-eight focus group discussions were conducted. The findings demonstrated that youth in rural Nepal are subjected to varied forms of psychosocial violence, including receiving threats and humiliating remarks from family and non-family members, being ridiculed or pestered as being worthless and unsuccessful by family and non-family members, and allegations of being ‘charitrahin’, (of bad character, particularly in relation to sexual orientation) for girls. Moreover, youth are also very aware of the types, causes and effects of such violence, and many feel that violence is the most effective way of expressing frustration or resolving conflicts.

This report provides useful information to organizations and individuals engaged in the prevention of violence against women, children, youth and adolescents, and the recommendations of the study are useful for policy and program formulation in reducing the extent and level of violence against women, children, youth and adolescents.

For a copy of this report, or for more information, contact WOREC at info@worecnepal.org.