Stakeholders have said that the condition of human rights defenders is also at risk due to the pandemic of COVID-19.
In the meeting of the Virtual Human Rights Help Desk organized by the Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) and the DCA Project on May 25, participants said that human rights defenders who advocate for the rights of others have become infected and have gone through economic hardship.
Madhurani Dhakal, co-coordinator of the Human Rights Defenders Network, said that immediate assistance should be provided to the human rights defenders and workers working in the informal sector. Dhakal also said that there was a problem in working under the ban as human rights defenders did not have visible uniforms and identity cards.
Similarly, Uktam Prasad Acharya, president of the High Court Bar Association, said that free legal services were provided to the two victims of violence requested by the helpline. Gita Koirala, treasurer of the District Bar Association, Surkhet, said that some of the victims were in critical condition and needed collective support for their rehabilitation and shelter.
At the meeting, Buddhanarayan Sahni, Chief of the National Human Rights Commission, Jumla, said that the commission had issued guidelines for human rights defenders and stressed the need for all stakeholders to work together during the pandemic of COVID-19.
Speaking on the occasion, INSEC Executive Director Bijay Raj Gautam said that effective joint work should be done for the protection of human rights during the pandemic.
Facilitating the program, INSEC Karnali Province Office Chief Narayan Subedi informed about the work being done by the Human Rights Help Desk.
Similarly, INSEC Project Chief Sarita Puri praised the work done by the Human Rights Defenders Network to bring justice to the victims of violence and opined that a new approach should be taken in case of the pandemic.
She stressed on the need for coordination in broadcasting public awareness jingles related to COVID-19, running helpline services, legal and psychosocial counseling.
INSEC Karnali Province Office, Surkhet