This good
practice document is developed by Wide Angle Social Development Organisation based
on an advocacy initiative conducted through print media. This document includes
the following areas:
1.
Brief note
on the project which the Media Advocacy is implementing
2.
A brief
process of conducting advocacy by Wide Angle
3.
Case
history on the Media Advocacy initiative and significant outcome.
1.
Brief note on the project
Wide Angle
Social Development Organisation is implementing a project entitle as “Promoting
organised initiative of victims and civil society institutions for ending
violence against children” under the sponsorship of European Union’s European
Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) and Country Based Support
Scheme (CBSS) India.
The
project was started in the year 2011 with an aim to
create a vigilant and sustained civil society network for protection of child
rights in Manipur. Other specific objectives of the project includes substantial
reduction of child rights violation by the conflicting parties, establishment
of State Commission for Child Rights to monitor and ensure right to education
and proper implementation of State public welfare schemes, and engage the
security establishment, Ministry of Home Affairs through initiation of
legislative advocacy for adhering to the codes and standards in handling
children in conflict area.
The operational areas of the said
project are Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur and Thoubal districts and targeting
children who are victims of severe human rights violation in remote villages by
both State and Central security forces as well as by the underground groups as
its primary beneficiaries.
Human rights defenders, community
based organisations, civil society organisations, women survivors are also
targeted by the project for sensitising and capacitating them on various rights
violation issues mainly by the security forces and underground groups.
2. A brief process of conducting advocacy
As a part of activities to achieve the
objectives, the project is conducting various advocacy activities to sensitise
range of target audiences so that they can contribute their best in promoting
child rights among the children victimised by armed conflict in the four
districts of the State. The advocacy activities are mainly targeting
stakeholders such as Human Rights Defenders (women survivors, CBOs, CSOs and
other likeminded institutions and groups), State legislature and
Parliamentarians.
Before initiating any advocacy
programme, the project organised meetings and discussions to identify specific
issue and objective of each advocacy activity. Exercise such as “Power Mapping
Analysis” is also conducted prior to any advocacy programme to assess the
primary and secondary target audiences, support and opposition structure
towards the advocacy issues. The project also used materials such as policy
briefs, good practices and other relevant information of the specific advocacy
issue. Such documents are developed by the project team with reference to the
primary and secondary information collected as per needs and sometimes also
refers to relevant documents developed by other agencies working in the field
of human rights.
3.
Case history on the Media Advocacy
initiative and significant outcome
Till the end of first year i.e., 31st December 2011,
the project has identified and enrolled 198 victims of which 89 Testimonies
were taken and 45 victims had been given psychological inputs. The project also
initiated networks of families of the victims of extra-judicial executions
under a platform named as Women Survivors’ Network (WSN) in four districts viz.
Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur district for
advocating/lobbying on the issue of child rights and human rights violation. In
order to strengthen the cohesiveness among its members as well as their
capacity, the WSNs in collaboration with the project staffs organised monthly
meetings for every months.
As a part of the
mentioned WSN meetings, on 24th of March 2012, the project team led
by the Project Manager in collaboration with some family members affected by
the armed conflict organised a meeting at Keibi Heikak Mapan situated around 20
Km north from Imphal. The meeting was conducted by the project manager and the
concerned district coordinator, and attended by 23 survivors (10 male and 13
female). Most of the family members are the victims of the Pourabi bomb blast
that occurred on 16th of December 2007 that claimed eight lives and
injured more than 30 people.
During the discussion,
most of the victims shared about their hardships in getting justice and aids
from the authority concerned of the State Government. Most of the family
members still have their feelings of resentment and bitterness towards the
State Government for its lackadaisical attitude in supporting the victims and
also towards the UG group that responsible for the blast.
As an outcome of the
discussion, the project staff and family members of the victims unanimously
agreed to form a network at the earliest to advocate relevant departments and
agencies to get welfare schemes, aids and also to extend support to social
issues related to the armed conflict.
Another significant
outcome that came out from the discussion is that the project, if the victims
consented properly, can recall the issue of Pourabi blast again to the minds of
different stakeholders through print media. And luckily, two of the immediate family members of the blast
victims accepted the proposals and decided to meet again with the victims.
On 26th of
March, the Advocacy officer and concerned coordinator went down to Keibi and conducted
an indebt discussion with a victim Bebem Devi a 15 years old school girl who
severely injured in the blast and obtain written consent from her father to
approach the initiative. The written consent was taken from her father as she
is only 15. On the same day the project contacted a Sub-editor of The Sangai
Express (English Edition), one of the largest circulated English dailies in the
State) and shared the initiative taken up by the project. With the help of him,
the project collected specific information on the blast related to the victim
Bembem from the archives of various news agencies.
On 1st
April 2012, the sub editor along with advocacy officer of the project met Bebem
along with her parents and brother at their residence of Keibi Heikak Mapan and
collected necessary information for publishing as News feature at The Sangai
Express edition of 2nd April 2012. The interview was conducted
successfully. After coming back from Keibi, the project manager and advocacy
officer of the project along with the sub editor organised a small discussion
at the office premises of The Sangai Express to analyse the information and
developed a final draft of the news item.
On the next day,
i.e., 2nd of April 2012, in the anchor column of the daily the news
came out as “Four years down the line, girl lives with blast mare” along with a
photograph of Bebem the girl victim.
The news item
so far received 16 positive comments from the readers and most of the comments
reflected their concern over the issues of armed conflict in the State along
with negative impacts among children. Social networking sites mainly the
Facebook users also uploaded the story on their wall to spread the hardships
faced by the girl child following the blast.
As an immediate outcome of the media advocacy, the PRO
IGAR (S) of Assam Rifles contacted the project staff to extend their support in
the girl’s immediate health care needs through their Military Civic Action
Programme.
Prior to them, a team of Border Security Force
attested to the Lamlai police station situated around 16 Km north-east from
Imphal paid a visit to Bebem’s house on 5th of April 2012 and
accompanied her to Dr Nongthol, an orthopaedist and Dr Yaima, an eye specialist
for primary check-up of her blast affected areas. The visiting BSF team also
extended their support in form of medicines prescribed by the doctors and along
with a new spectacle for Bebem. The Assam Rifles also on their process of
helping the girl.
From such initiative taken up by the project help the
victim, her family, other victims and the project itself in many ways:
1.
During an
interaction with Bebem after the publication was made, she shared that she is now
not reluctant to go out and socialise with others especially with her friends. She
also expressed that she felt glorified and now thinking of helping other
victims. Such honest opinions of Bebem obviously indicates that the initiative
help the victim in enhancing her self confidence which is one of the most
important thing to boost strength and moralities among youths besides getting
material supports from others.
2.
The
comments expressed to the news item and concerns of the Facebook users
ultimately indicates that such initiative, if used properly, can sensitize
range of stakeholder towards the issues of Armed conflict in the State.
3.
The
initiative also carries a message to other victims of armed conflict that they
can overcome their traumatized and discriminated lifestyle through interacting
and sharing their problems to others.
-
It
is another big learning of the implementing NGO and project that the issues of
child rights violation in Manipur can be reduced to some extend if used both
methods of face to face evidence based advocacy and advocacy through media
effectively in sensitizing the policy makers, law enforcement agencies, legal authorities
and other civil society organisations.
-
This
document can help other likeminded organisations/groups/projects during their
advocacy initiatives to influence the policy makers/stakeholder on their issues
of concern.
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