September 18, 2024, Mahendranagar- Saathi, under the Empowered Women Prosperous Nepal (EWPN) program, organized an interaction program focused on strengthening coordination among service providers addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The event saw the participation of key representatives, including the Deputy Mayors of Bhimdatta and Belauri Municipalities, the Chief District Officer, Nepal Police, One-Stop Crisis Management Centers (OCMC), high court bar associations, civil society organizations (CSOs),representative of Hote Association of Kanchanpur and Kanchanpur chambers of commerce.
Palita Thapa, GBV Program Manager, outlined the main objective of the program: to discuss challenges in providing effective GBV responses and explore strategies to strengthen coordination among service providers. Urmila Shahi, District Program Coordinator, shared insights about the services offered by shelters, highlighting challenges such as limited capacity, birth registration issues, and long-term care for children born from rape.
Chief Guest Neelam Lekhak Joshi, Deputy Mayor of Bhimdatta Municipality, stressed the importance of collective efforts in addressing GBV, noting that women’s and girls’ security has become an increasingly sensitive issue. She emphasized the municipality’s role in promoting equal access for disadvantaged groups and empowering women through various training programs.
Special Guest Jog Ram Chaudhary, Deputy Mayor of Belauri Municipality, spoke about the municipality’s operation of temporary safe houses for GBV survivors, while highlighting the need for long-term solutions. He also reiterated the municipality’s commitment to raising awareness and improving support systems for survivors. Additionally, Chief District Officer Narayan Prasad Sapkota emphasized the importance of local government establishing immediate relief mechanisms for cases of violence.
