Drama staged to clarify the role of Ward Women's Network in dispute resolution

The Ward No. 30 Women's Network staged a drama to clarify the role of the Ward Women's Network in resolving local disputes.

During a local judicial dialogue program organized on Thursday, elected representatives Sharmila Shrestha Singh and Sharmila Shrestha Mahato, judicial facilitator Subina Khadgi, mediator Shobha Upreti Kharel, along with Srijan Rawal, Asmita Upreti, and Jhima Majhi performed in the drama based on a story of domestic violence.

The drama began by portraying a household dispute and the resulting situation of violence. It depicted police advising the victim of violence to approach the Women's Network, the victim consulting with a judicial facilitator, taking the dispute to the reconciliation room for joint dialogue with both parties present, conducting individual sessions, reaching a settlement between the disputing parties, and the process of sending the file to the Judicial Committee thereafter.

After watching the drama, Metropolitan Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol noted that they are working to prevent minor disputes from transforming into feelings of jealousy and revenge. "We hear disputes through both written and verbal methods to protect every individual's self-respect. We have attempted to resolve civil disputes through mediation," she said. "We want no one to spend their life burdened by disputes or forced into unnecessary expenses. To achieve this, we are providing psychosocial counseling and free legal assistance through judicial facilitators to the disputing parties."

The nature of disputes has also evolved due to societal conditions, needs, and the use of technology. It is necessary to anticipate such conditions and develop capacity for dispute resolution methods.

Speaking at the program, Ward Chairperson Dal Bahadur Karki said, "Disputes can be stopped at their root through legal literacy. Therefore, literacy programs must be expanded."

During the program, Women's Network Coordinator Indira Shrestha Singh and Reconciliation Center Coordinator Sharmila Shrestha Mahato Sudi provided information on local disputes, stating that frequent disputes involve land disputes, financial transactions, requests to vacate rooms, requests to demolish walls built on roads, requests to vacate shutters, collection of rent amounts, securing unpaid wages, requests to evict tenants, domestic violence, and management of roads, drainage, and water supply.

According to Ward Secretary Dev Raj Joshi, the Women's Network was formed on 9 November 2022. Since then, 39 disputes have been registered at the ward level, of which 20 have been settled through mediation. In the current fiscal year, 12 disputes have been registered, of which 5 have been resolved through mediation.