Joint Programme Evaluation final evaluation report august 2016 DanChurchAid (dca) Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur Nepal Dr. Prakash Bhattarai and Dr. Dhruba Gautam

2.4.2 Inclusive Citizenship for Accountable Governance

As shared by the respondents in the field, the key impact of ICAG programme was that it helped women to boost up their confidence to actively engaged in civic and political life and break the social stereotypes and some cultural taboos in project implemented areas. ICAG programmes have left a number of other impacts both at the policy and grassroots level. Some of these impacts are as follows;
Policy Level Impacts

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  In Bangladesh, an Anti-Discrimination Law has been drafted by the government in 2014 as result of civil society advocacy where DCA partners played an instrumental role to design the content of the draft and push forward the law formulation process.
  

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  DCA partners played a key role to uplift Dalit rights movement in Bangladesh which was absent until 2001. In order to bolster the Dalit rights movement, a national Dalit rights network has been formed with its strong grassroots connection. In the past there was no such network in existence.
  

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  In Nepal, DCA Partners were actively involved in women and Dalit friendly constitution-making process from local to national level. The new Constitution has been finally adopted by the Constituent Assembly body in September 2015.
  

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  There is also evidence of increased influence on gender sensitive policy priorities and resource allocation by women from discriminated groups and key related stakeholders. For example in Nepal, as a result of the representation of women leaders in local governance structures, they were able to access funds worth 5 million NRS (US $ 50,000) from various government authorities for various capacity building programmes and livelihood activities for the poor and marginalised women. This has benefitted more than 2,000 households. Likewise, in Bangladesh, due to the capacity building of discriminated women by DCA Partners, they were able to influence 15 local government institutions to allocate 7,30,900 BDT (approx.7000 US$) for the fiscal year 2015-16 and 9,20, 630.00 BDT for 2014-15 fiscal year for women and discriminated groups.
  

Grassroots Level Impact

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  ICAG programme has contributed to increase women’s political and social activism at the local level in both Nepal and Bangladesh. According to view from project beneficiaries, women in the project districts and communities who participated in various project activities have now realised that meaningful involvement of women in political process is crucial to claim for their rights. As a result, there is an increased women participation in Ward Citizen Forum (WCF), Forest and Water Users Groups, Citizen Action Group, Project Management Committee, School Management Committee, Market Committee and so on. It is also reported that people representing marginalised groups are gradually heard by the local stakeholders and they are now working as human rights defenders at the local level. In the case of Bangladesh a number of women who were beneficiaries of ICAG programme, some of them are now elected as local government officials in the recent Union Parishad election of 2016², whereas in the case of Nepal, women (only some women) involved in ICAG programmes are now elected as key officials of their respective political parties.
  

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  As a result of continuous capacity building, Dalit women and men have gained confidence and contested for elections both in social and state institutions. By becoming members in social, political and state institutions, Dalit women and men have influenced decisions in the organisations for the benefit of poor and marginalised groups. Some of the positive changes seen in the project districts are related to government office taking affirmative action on Dalit inclusion, participation and resource allocation therefore they are focusing to Dalit inclusion in the different user groups, program supporting, Dalit participation in Municipality's council and other local level structures. Police office also files the caste based discrimination and untouchability related cases in easy process. In some project districts, some VDCs (e.g. Chiliya VDC in Rupandehi) have been declared as "Untouchability Free VDC" in the lead of VDC office and in coordination with DCA partners. Likewise, there has been a significant increase of Dalit women in the local governance structures in Nepal. This has been possible as a result of the leadership promotion and capacity building activities of the women leaders by DCA partner organisations.
  

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  In Nepal, people from the project launched communities are now encouraged to report untouchability cases either in police posts or community mediation centres established at the local level. Likewise, women from project areas have gained confident to defend the violation of human rights, mostly on Violence against Women (VoW), dowry, and securing the citizenship rights of women. DCA project partners have also extended their support for marginalised communities for obtaining citizenship, disability card, and birth and marriage registration certificates.
  

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  Beneficiaries of the ICAG programme reported that there is an increased cooperation between Dalit and non-Dalit population in both Nepal and Bangladesh for ending caste-based discrimination. For example, in Salyan and Doti district of Nepal, a number of community development initiatives are taken place with the collective participation of Dalit and non-Dalit people. In both districts, people from non-Dalit community have encouraged people from Dalit community to get involve in various local level governance structures. Moreover, district network for the promotion of Dalit rights formed in Salyan district of Nepal have included both people both Dalit and non-Dalit community.
  

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  In Bangladesh, Dalit women through their participation in the local Panchayat meetings along with men have been able to access safe net programmes of the government. As claimed by DCA partners, traditionally Dalit women were not allowed and accepted to participate in social, state and political institutions and participate in decision-making processes. The project intervention has changed this tradition. Moreover in India, 200 committed and potential Dalit women who were trained to access justice and state provisioned resources at local and district level have addressed issues of Dalits on health and sanitation, girl child education and violence against women and girls at community level. As a result, discrimination practices are resolved and the Dalit students can now sit together with other non-Dalit students and attend classes.
  

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  In Nepal, caste-based discrimination and violence against Dalit women issues have been decreased and justice has been accessed due to continuous advocacy and awareness raising regarding Untouchability Act 2011 from DCA partners along with other CSOs. In Bangladesh, the government officials and elected representatives are aware and sensitive towards the rights of Dalit women due to frequent contact by Dalit women leaders. This has resulted in recent decision by the Social Welfare Department to include the Dalit community in the safety net and other social security programmes which was not the case before. This can be taken as a major positive step for the Dalit community in Bangladesh. Dalit women have accessed services (old age allowance, students allowance, lactating mother allowance, small business entrepreneurs training) from the state institutions which they are entitled to which was not the case before. Moreover, in India, DCA partner CDR has focused its programme on accessing justice for Dalit women on violation of their rights and caste based discrimination and atrocity issues. Regular coordination and contacts are made by the partner representatives to the district administration to take up serious cases of human rights violations and caste based discrimination on Dalits and also to explore access to justice mechanisms. 4318 cases were put before the authorities for rendering the immediate statutory relief, rehabilitation, monetary relief to the victim, legal action against the assailants and other rehabilitation measures.485 responses were received from their ends in form of the legal action taken, arrest of the perpetrators, sanction and payment of the monetary relief etc.
  

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  In the three countries, the capacitated HRDs resulted by the project initiatives, have been working for the protection and promotion of their rights as well as for the rights of people in their locality. In Nepal, the capacitated HRDs resulted by the project initiatives have been working for the protection and promotion of rights of other people in their locality. Further, establishment of five regional Help Desks by DCA partner INSEC has been a powerful tool to provide services for the protection and promotion of human rights of the HRDs and provide psychological relief to the victims of HRDs. In Bangladesh, the programme has provided increased access to justice specifically for socially excluded and marginalised women, men and children. It has also enabled the marginalised and socially excluded communities, in particular women, within the formal and informal justice systems to raise their voice by capacitating them. Both the right holders and the duty bearers-local justice system actors were oriented and capacitated about the rights and responsibilities hence making them more aware and committed to address HRDs issues. Moreover, in India, the establishment of the three 24x7 Help Desks and formation of HRD Alliance have had similar impact like the ones in Nepal. These have served as an effective tool to protect and promote human rights violations of the HRDs. Additionally, HRDs have been able to inform the community about the government services and made the state accountable to cater to the needs of the community in an inclusive manner.