Protection rights of people at risk and promotion of social cohesion
Expel from their origin and living as asylum seeker in Nepal and seeking assistance of every basic needs, Bhutanese refugees have a long journey to Nepal. Ms. Sushma Rai, one of LWF Nepal’s young staffs, working as a Community Service Assistant is dedicated towards her motive to promote protection concern of the refugees in the camps. With her compassion on humanitarian work, she has been contributing for the community service sectors at the camps since few months back.
A very generous thought of serving those in absolute need is always been a motivational factor to work as a humanitarian worker for her. "Working as a Community Service Associate at LWF Nepal and in this refugee operation has provided me an opportunity to fulfill my dreams of contributing for the lives of these stateless people" she says with her pride. She has been always motivated by the fact that she will contribute for the protection concern of people with specific need at the camps. She is expecting to see the smile of refugee women and children throughout her work at LWF Nepal.
"Contribution for the reconciliations and community harmony between the refugees and host communities is the most desirable part for her jobs", she says with her smile. Since, she started her job in the midst of COVID-19 crisis, she was thinking that there might be so many challenges to the refugee family as they have to depend on external assistance even in this difficult situation. “This made me curious about the protection issues of the refugees at camps” she further elaborates her remarks. The incidence of many sexual abuse and gender based violence in this lock-down period aired in the media was making me serious while starting my jobs at the camps. “The country-wide lockdown situation was making me in dilemma how I can contribute to the situation” before. The travel restriction imposed by the government made me confusion at the beginning of my work, she adds. However, she was excited to show her innovations and results throughout her work in this project in which she can feel proud in her exit. “The most vulnerable and at risk people at the camps are in need of my support and I have been committed for that”, she adds. Many refugees are facing diverse challenges due to this COVID crisis as they have been losing their income generation opportunities and income status matters a lot for the protection concern of the refugees. The loss of jobs and income generation opportunities further deteriorating the protection concern of the refugee women and children which was hitting my mind and encouraging to innovate any new for such dealings. She became more focused and initiated for the individual consultation with the people at risk and initiated to get informed the general scenario on SGBV situation at the camps. She talked with the likeminded stakeholders about the situation and communicated for the systematic approach for the same. She was facilitated few orientations and interaction maintaining the precautions measures at the camps and host on SGBV and protection.
The differences in the economic situation of the people at the camps was somehow correlated with the SGBV cases. Therefore, she has referred few cases for the livelihood support. She was concentrating the implication of the substance abuse and making alert to the camp management committee for its implication in SGBV and other protection cases.
She believes it is her faith which has always brought her courage to work even in difficult conditions at the field. Moreover, "humanitarian workers need to be very careful with what they do and what they offer because every action counts", she elaborate her remarks. In fact she believes performing her duty as a humanitarian worker is the only faith that she has fell upon. "It doesn't matter that what position you work but a beautiful heart with generous nature is matters for devotion" she express her spiritual beliefs. Ms. Amrita Nepal, the coordinator of Bhutanese refugee women forum (BRWF) says, "We are really very proud with Ms. Susmita and her contribution for the protection concern of women and children in refugee camps". She further adds, that "this little girl is playing vital role as a guardian for us so that we have confidence to report if any cases have been found of SGBV at the camps for judicial process”.
