Untitled - Care Nepal

Occupation
Teachers
Farmer
Health worker
Business/job
Security force
Social worker
Housewife
Labor
Students
1 (0.5)
72 (36.9)
1 (0.5)
25 (12.8)
7 (3.6)
27 (13.8)
30 (15.4)
32 (16.4)
16 (40)
1 (2.5)
4 (10)
3 (7.5)
4 (10)
12 (30)
33 (61.1)
9 (16.7)
12 (22.2)
6 (75)
2 (25)
17 (5.7)
112 (37.7)
5 (1.7)
39 (13.1)
4 (1.3)
19 (6.4)
27 (9.1)
42 (14.1)
32 (10.8)
** Majority of the participants of free-listing were illiterate.
The majority (88%) of the research participants were women although one third of the research participants in Key
Informant Interviews were men. In total 12% men were interviewed and none of them were in free-listing and case
studies. In overall research, the large number (45%) of respondent belonged to Janajati but in KII alone there was
higher enrollment of Brahmin and Chettris due to selection criteria.
THE NATURE OF
POLITICAL VIOLENCE
Nature of exposure to political
violence
During the armed conflict, women were
threatened or frightened by both security
forces and rebels. Some women lost their
husbands, and the husbands of others went
missing. Most of the men had temporarily
left their residence due to armed conflict.
Some of them went to India or Kathmandu
or to district headquarters where they felt
more secure and able to earn an income.
Hence women remained alone at home and
they were frequently interrogated by
security forces as well as by revolutionary
group. In addition, the armed conflict was
perceived to restrict mobility. Women felt
they were not able to leave their homes
when they heard that strangers had entered
in their village.
“Women are interrogated using abusive words
and such words were mostly used
by army soldiers”.
“As women used to be alone at home, they
had feared that the opponent party would
come and rape them”.
(A woman aged 38, married, literate,
business, b/c from Makawanpur)
Women reported that the pressure for doing
additional household chores increased due
to the armed conflict. Since men were away
from home or some of them were involved
in the conflict directly, the entire work of
the house, family and farm had to be managed
by women alone due to which they felt
worried about how to manage everything.
“There is worry that war will continue. Men won’t stay
at home; women will have to do all the works”.
(A woman aged 36, married, janajati, literate,
agriculture from Makawanpur)
16
Psychosocial Issues of
Women affected by conflict