From 1996-2006, the government of Nepal engaged in armed conflict with a Maoist insurgency. Both parties to the conflict routinely tortured, raped, detained and killed women and girls. But the experiences of women have not been fully acknowledged as part of the history of Nepal's armed conflict.
“There are so many cases of sexual violence, rape and torture in Nepal that happened during the armed conflict,” says Jaya Luintel, founder of the nonprofit organization, The Story Kitchen. “And we thought, how can we create an alternative space for the stories of women, so that they can tell their stories freely?”
The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, managed by UN Women, supported The Story Kitchen’s subsequent justice reporter training. The project trained women survivors to record their own testimonies and those of other survivors of gender-based violence. Beneficiaries learned sensitive interview techniques as well as how to operate handheld recorders and microphones. To date, more than 1,000 testimonies have been recorded by the justice reporters.
In 2017, UN Women continued partnering with The Story Kitchen, training 12 women survivors to create short films about their experiences during the conflict. In breaking their silence, women victims and survivors hope to create an enabling environment for truth, justice, dignity and reparations in Nepal.
UN Women is committed to breaking the culture of silence around violence against women and securing justice for survivors. Join our annual campaign, 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls. #HearMeToo
Photos courtesy of:
UN Women/Emily Kenney
The Story Kitchen
Justice Reporter training supported by:
UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women
The Governance Facility
Digital storytelling workshop supported by UN Women Nepal with funding from:
European Union
Government of Finland
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