Information
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Raksha Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal
Raksha Nepal (RN) is an NGO established in 2004, is an initiative for women empowerment. RN is run by women and girls who have been sexually exploited. Therefore, the organization is dedicated to those women and girls who have landed knowingly and unknowingly in painful and life-threatening prostitution. RN is committed to making these women and girls aware of how to protect themselves in their current roles, and build their capacity to identify alternative livelihood opportunities to start a safe and respected life. Raksha Nepal believes that if women are confident and educated the entire family becomes educated. This is one of the reasons that the organization is determined and committed to work towards the overall welfare of women and girls who are sexually exploited.
Nepali women suffer numerous inequalities, many of which lead to their sexual exploitation. The culture supports the man’s right to use and abuse women, and there is no rule of law to protect the victims of this abuse. As a result, trafficking of women and children is common, and even women hired into what they believe are valid jobs are then forced into prostitution in order to maintain their meager incomes. Massage parlors, dance bar, dohoree and cabin restaurants are infamous for their treatment of women. The women, with no skills, cannot support themselves otherwise. A decade of internal conflict has displaced many people across the country, and they often come to the cities where many seek to exploit them.
Nepali women face multiple forms of discrimination. Existing culture and legal inequalities are also some of the cases of abuse and exploitation. Illiterate, poor and lack of skills, these women who seek to escape their situation, are tricked or compelled to sex work. The most exploitative businesses are massage parlors, dance bars and cabin restaurants of growing urbanization.
When women first come to Raksha, they are aided with shelter, food and necessary health care. Raksha then provides a series of vocational training programs (driving, cell phone repair, beautician skills, hair cutting, knitting ) so the women can support themselves through various means of employment. This NGO is small and warm, creating a supportive and family like environment for these women in recovery. They also put on screenings of documentaries involving human trafficking and the sex trade around Kathmandu to create awareness within the community about this pressing issue.
Raksha Nepal believes, if a woman is capable, the whole family is capable. Therefore, the organization is determined and committed towards the overall welfare of the women involved in compulsive prostitution so that the daughters would not follow the path of their mothers.
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Current Projects
Major Activities/Programs
Shelter Home: Raksha Nepal has been providing shelter to women, girls and children.
STD Prevention: Through counseling, discussions, seminars, workshops and informational handouts, Raksha raises awareness about safe sex, HIV/STD prevention, and the legal rights of women.
Raksha Shree Polyclinic: As RN's target group is most susceptible to health hazards, it has established a polyclinic which runs regular free check-ups for them. Moreover, through counseling, discussion, seminars, workshop and information handouts, RN has been able to raise awareness about safer sex, reproductive health, safe motherhood, HIV/STD prevention among its beneficiaries.
Research and Survey: Raksha conducts surveys for women from our target group around Kathmandu, with a focus on those working in Thamel. These surveys are helpful in identifying the magnitude of abuse and the best way to address it.
Coordination with Media: Raksha, in coordination with the media, focuses on issues of women in order gain attention of all the stakeholders. Such coordination also helps in identifying solutions to the existing problems faced by women and girls working in places with high risk of sexual exploitation.
Awareness and Training Programs: Raksha offers different trainings to empower the women. The trainings include leadership development, income generation and skill enhancement. After completion of the trainings, Raksha provides some seed money to the trainees to set up their own business.
Raksha Shree Cooperative: In collaboration with women and girls who has faced sexual abuse, Raksha has established a saving and credit cooperative named Raksha Shree Cooperative. The aim of the cooperative is to strengthen their moral and make them independent with an easy access to micro-credit to start their own business.
Rehabilitation and Reintegration Program: Once the beneficiaries are empowered and ready, RN either rehabilitates them through job placements of reintegrates in their families / communities (creating a conducive environment), according to the will of the women and girls
Psycho-social and Trauma Counseling: Raksha Nepal has been providing free counseling to the women, girls and children who have gone through different forms of violence ; physical, mental, sexual abuse, motivating them to live better life.
Women’s School: Raksha has been supporting the women and girls deprived from education by running two women’s schools in different locations of Kathmandu.
Educational Support: Raksha has been providing financial support for education to children displaced by conflict and without families, or to children of sexual victims.
Legal Aid: Most of the beneficiaries of RN are estranged from their family and society. The legal aid and counseling help them in the process of getting their civil and property rights.
Partner Needs
Raksha is seeking volunteers with computer, networking, and grant-writing skills. Raksha seeks volunteers who are sensitive to women's issues and interested in staying for at least six months. Given the nature of their work they also prefer female volunteers. Volunteers will be fully immersed in the day top day happenings at the main Raksha office (meetings, group sessions, vocational trainings, organizing events, etc).
Financial Needs
Background
Raksha Nepal is an NGO established in 2004 dedicated to protecting women who were sexually exploited by the vulnerability of their employment. With the active participation of girls and women currently in the industry, Raksha Nepal is committed to raising awareness about self- protection for women forced to support themselves and their children through prostitution. Raksha Nepal helps women and girls escape from this dangerous and abusive industry and helps establish a safe and secure future through training and counseling.
From the establishment period, Raksha Nepal has been performing social survey on the women of entertainment sector, i.e., working in dance bars, massage parlors, and disco theques and dohori restaurants. Moreover, it has been providing legal support, psycho-social counseling, and literacy classes free of cost according to the need of the beneficiaries. It is also rehabilitating and reintegrating the victim women in the society through the means of alternative employment, advocating for the rights of sexually exploited women and children being involved in such sector and also making an effort for the state and other stakeholders to be serious upon the matter and to bring the clear policy on such issues.
The major objective of this organization is to rehabilitate the women being involved in compulsive prostitution through alternative employment opportunities and to make an effort for ensuring their rights.
Raksha Nepal believes, if a woman is capable, the whole family is capable. Therefore, the organization is determined and committed towards the overall welfare of the women involved in compulsive prostitution so that the daughters would not follow the path of their mothers.
The major regular activity Raksha Nepal has been conducting includes the following:
- · Rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of sexually exploited women
- · Women empowerment and skills development training
- · Psychosocial counseling
- · Health-awareness promotion
- · Legal support
- · Continuing research and development of surveys
- · Monitoring and advocacy
- · Coordination with stakeholders
- · NFE class
Presently, Raksha Nepal is running a Women Shelter Program, by which 22 women and 17 children from entertainment sector have been selected as residents and they have been benefiting with the services provided by the organization. The services include; psycho-social counseling, legal and medical support, awareness raising classes and more importantly, vocational trainings for alternative livelihood.
Problem Statement
In course of providing vocational training to the residents, Raksha sends them to the institutes in lack of the sufficient space for training in the organization. The residents are interested in different trainings and these training institutes are situated at different locations. Therefore, Raksha is facing problem in sending the residents to the institutes and talking them back to shelter.
All the residents residing here in shelter are the victims and most of their perpetrator regularly threatens the organization, its staffs including the residents themselves. Therefore, due to the insecurity of the residents, one of the staffs (especially the field worker) has to accompany them. Therefore, a greater number of human cum financial resource is needed for taking them to the institutes and taking them back. Also, the public vehicle is insecure for them.
Rationale
If Raksha had its own vehicle, it would be very easy to tackle with this problem. The human and financial cost including the efforts would be minimized. It would be easy, time and cost effective. The residents could safely and easily reach to the training institutes, learn the training in the relaxed mood and return back to the shelter. A Toyota van with the capacity of 10-15 people would be effective in this regard.
Major Achievements
· The resident trainees will be safe and exited to learn new things
· The residents will feel secured as they do not have to travel in public vehicle with risk.
· They will be able to learn the training in short duration of time as they will be concentrated in the training.
If Raksha is granted with the vehicle (Toyota Van) it will help a lot in the development of the organization and its beneficiaries. (US $ 20,000)
Mission Statement
Mission: Women and young girls free of Sexual Exploitation
Objectives:
· Create awareness about self-protection from sexual exploitation
· Rehabilitate and reintegrate women and girls into society by providing alternative employment opportunities through skills training
· Research and advocate against compulsive sex work, especially with cases involving minors
· Lobby for effective implementation of national/international laws involving Child Labor, Child Right Convention (CRC), Convention on Elimination of All Kinds of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the modification of other unequal laws currently in practice
· Rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of sexually exploited women
· Provide economic empowerment programs
· Psychosocial and trauma counseling
· Provide health education programs
· Provide Legal support
· Provide shelter to survivors