Mediators’ Spilled Over Role: Local Community gets free from Alcoholism
January 01, 2017
Hariharpur-Bita VDC is one of 4 CM program implemented VDCs of Parsa District under the project AJA. There is a huge ground in front of VDC office wherein evening salesmen used to run shops of meet items and local alcohol. This evening market used to continue from 4 to 11 PM. People from different VDCs used to throng there for drinking alcohol. Even young boys used to attend in the market regularly. And after 4 pm, it used to be really difficult for women to walk around the ground as these men used to sexually harass them. It itself was a form of GBV and it had further increased the other forms of GBV in the VDC. It had affected lives of whole community including girls, women, youth and decent individuals.
On 25 June 2016, CMC was established in the VDC with the support of HUCODAN under AJA project. On 23rd July 2016, after the meeting with local stakeholders, with the initiation of 27 mediators and support and participation from locals, campaign against alcohol was launched. Local people spoke with the shop owners and took initiatives to close those shops within 5 days.
Now, alcohol market has been closed there and business persons have run other alternative business selling snacks, lunch etc. Prohibiting of alcohol business created peace in the VDC. Now women can feel safe to roam confidently over there. This step has reduced the cases of GBV. Now, community feels so happy and acknowledges the role of CMC in creating peaceful environment at their community.
