25 November, 2019
Amnesty International Nepal held a one-day workshop for its members on the Write for Rights 2019 Campaign at Bhaktapur in Kathmandu Valley on Monday.
The objective of the workshop was to orient members of Amnesty Nepal’s groups and youth networks about this year’s campaign and to discuss best strategies to ensure a successful campaign.
The programme started with an introduction of Amnesty Nepal’s Board members, Secretariat staff and the participants. Pradeep Pokherel, an advisor to the National Board, then spoke about the history of the Write for Rights campaign and the impact it has had both at home in Nepal and across the globe.
Bikram Dhukuchhu, chair of Amnesty Nepal, welcomed the participants and expressed his hope that this year’s campaign would be even more successful than the previous one.
Amnesty Nepal’s staff then conducted several sessions which included discussions on this year’s theme and case stories, campaign strategies and the definition of human rights defenders.
In an interactive session led by Nirajan Thapaliya, Amnesty Nepal’s Director, participants were asked to examine the meaning of the Write for Rights campaign and why it matters.
Speaking about the year’s theme, Thapaliya explained the reasons behind the campaign choosing to stand in solidarity and support youth human rights defenders.
“The youth are leading some of the biggest fights concerned with human rights today,” said Thapaliya. “And they are facing consequences for that.”
This year, Amnesty Nepal will be campaigning for human rights defenders from Canada, China, Greece, Iran, Philippines and South Sudan. As part of the campaign, Amnesty Nepal will also be collecting petitions to demand the government regulate the sale and distribution of acids which are being increasingly used in attacks against women and girls.
Participants also shared their experiences of campaigning in the Write For Rights 2018 campaign. Barun Kuikel of United Youth Network, which collected the highest number of actions during last year’s campaign, said his team’s strategy of focusing on schools and colleges was key to gathering a maximum number of actions.
“From the start, we knew we wanted to prioritize schools and colleges. So we planned accordingly, divided our responsibilities and conducted sessions in 11 locations,” said Kuikel.
Besides organising sessions at educational institutions, the United Youth Network also set up a petition desk at Boudha which helped them reach out to more people.