Asian Development Bank

The organization successfully accomplished the ADB (Asian Development Bank) Manila's research project: RETA (Regional Technical Assistance) 5948,"Combating Trafficking of Women and Children in South Asia" in April 2002. A comprehensive Nepal Country Paper was prepared which primarily has focused on how to mainstream trafficking concerns in poverty reduction programming through an analysis of existing situation in Nepal. In this connection the Research paper reviewed existing data and reports associated with trafficking of women and children, examined the role of various stakeholders directly involved in a variety of programming, collected information regarding several ADB projects through site visits and interaction with the local people in and around the project sites, and conducted a consultative National workshop to present the findings of the RETA for Nepal for additional recommendations to incorporate in the final Country paper. (www.adb.org)

Action Aid

The organization undertook yet another  research on reintegration of trafficking survivors in partnership with ActionAid Nepal. HimRights team visited various Rehabilitation Centers to meet the concerned stakeholders and target group. Field visits to other working districts of the organization, outside Kathmandu valley were carried out for the purpose. The study  “Resisting Trafficking in Women: Auditing Testimonies and Restoration Approaches” seeks to understand and explore the perception of the trafficked persons regarding the programs of rescue, reintegration and rehabilitation currently underway. It is primarily based on in-depth case study approach aiming to collect authentic and participatory testimonies of trafficked persons so as  to ensure their perspective in policy influencing and advocacy and seek its linkage with the larger anti trafficking movements.

Plan Nepal

HimRights/Plan Nepal have conducted research in the districts of Bara, Rautahat and Makwanpur on the impact of ongoing armed conflict upon people especially women and children. The research has also sought to explore the existing trend and pattern of migration, and the relation between unsafe migration and human trafficking. Number of VDCs  have been visited by the research team in all the three districts to examine the cases of disappearances, IDPs and other concerns.

Verite

The organization has been working in partnership with US-based organization called Verite in monitoring and auditing labour rights and standards in various industries in Nepal and India. In this connection it undertook the task of auditing and monitoring the condition of the workers and abidance of labor rights standards in various garment factories in India and Nepal in order to prepare a comprehensive Report for Verite in 1998-2002.

Research on IDPs (Internal Displaced Persons)
The atrocities committed by the Maoists and security forces have forced general people, residing in rural parts, to migrate to less conflict-prone areas especially district headquarters, urban cities and Kathmandu – the country’s capital.Likewise, people who get displaced or are made homeless by either one or both warring factions of the armed-conflict (Maoists and State) are pushed into vulnerable situations and in destitute conditions without even a minimum protection from the State.

The objectives of this Rapid Assessment were to: a) determine the impact of internal displacement on the acceleration of urbanization process in the Kathmandu Valley specific to five-thematic areas: health and sanitation; transportation and communication; education and employment; habitat and commodities and intolerance and crime; and b) identify the root causes and consequences of dislodgement, uprooting and displacement with a special focus on women, children and marginalized groups (ethnic, indigenous and so called lower caste groups), including auditing of laws, policies and programmes etc of governmental, non-governmental, inter-governmental  and international agencies.
This assessment was conducted in the selected municipalities of the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur) and selected VDCs of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts.
The target respondents for the Rapid Assessment were as follows:

1. Internally Displacement Persons, with maximum representation of women and children - The team developed respondents' identification criteria that incorporated respondents from dalit and ethnic communities; indigenous groups; victims of the Maoist and the state violence and religious minorities like Muslims. Also, equal representation of boys and girls was maintained and age factor being considered critical, was attributed to three age sub-categories [a) Below 18 b) 19-59 c) 60 and above] during the field research.
2. General public (host community), to ascertain the impact of internal displacement on their lives and livelihood specific to five-thematic areas: health and sanitation; transportation and communication; education and employment; habitat and commodities and intolerance and crime
3. Varied governmental, non-governmental, international and inter-governmental agencies to find out their KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and Perception) on IDPs, the impact of internal displacement on the acceleration of urbanization process in the Kathmandu Valley and policies and programmes of these stakeholders to address the issue.

As an integral component of the assessment, the team collected official statistics and available literature and reports on varied issues of the present armed-conflict; migration and conflict-induced internal displacement (causes, consequences, policies, laws and legislations etc) in the country. 
The research tools used for the Rapid Assessment were qualitative in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, observations, interactive informal sessions for rapport building, and thematic case studies for the purpose of attaining comprehensive responses on each thematic area of interest as envisaged in the assessment. Likewise, in order to identify IDPs, snowballing technique was used since any probability-sampling techniques were almost impossible to apply due to the impermanent habitation status of these groups.

RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF ARMED CONFLICT ON WOMEN
It is a  fact that in times of conflict, children and women become direct and indirect victims of war. In the context of Nepal’s armed conflict situation, thousands of women and children have been forced to flee their homes, children have been separated from their families and experiences as child soldiers and women combatants have left emotional traumas that will have long-term impacts in their lives. After the male head of the household dies, is disabled or flees, the women and children are forced to uphold their social responsibilities, and face both economic hardships and social humiliations.

The focus of the research was to ascertain the overall impact of armed conflict through the lens of structural violence and human rights violations, on women and children with particular reference to their education, health, psychology, social and economic status.

This research attempted to create a platform where their illustrative voices are heard, so their concern can be integrated into programmes relating to conflict transformation and possible peace building actions. Consequently, the research has analyzed various dimensions and facets of conflict - demystifying the power relations and ethno-cultural inter-linkages with conflict.

As an integral component of the research, the team collected official statistics and available literature and reports on the present state of armed-conflict - its origin, nature, trend and pattern of growth and also, on the endemic structural violence fueling the armed-conflict.
Also, secondary data from various sources at national and district levels were collected, reviewed and analyzed.