About Us

The Conflict Victims Committee (CVC) is a group of victims from the recently concluded ten-year civil war in Nepal. They suffered at the hands of both state security forces and Maoists and are based in Bardiya District of the Midwestern Region, one of the districts most affected by the conflict. Majority of the members of the CVC belong to the indigenous Tharu community, who suffered a large number of disappearances, killings and torture during the conflict.

CVC was formally established in early 2007 when victims decided to get together to support each other in their quests to find the whereabouts of disappeared family members. Members also seek to obtain reparations and accountability from the perpetrators. Later on CVC extended its horizon to other victims and now stand as the largest victims’ organization in Bardiya district. The group is comprised of all kinds of victims from both sides, predominantly women. The policy and the principle of the organization are to continue organizing victims and other community members in perusing truth and justice on the basis of human rights principles and humanity.

We strongly believe that the wider solidarity of the communities and other stakeholders in the struggles and campaigns of the victims is needed for recognition of the pains and suffering they have gone through.

In 12 August 2018, CVC held its general assembly and elected the new board.

CVC has the following special objectives:

• To make public the disappearance of people during the conflict
• To coordinate concerned national and international organizations for making public the disappearance of people
• To make people aware of the legal instruments for disappearance cases, including compensation
• To provide economic support to the victims’ families
• To provide legal support to the victims and the victims’ families

CVC’s main work is in two specific programmes:

Pilot Programme for Justice

This Pilot Programme for Justice was funded for six months by the UK Embassy of Nepal . This programme focused on disappearances during Nepal’s Internal Armed Conflict, working with the victims of disappearances and extra judicial killings. The victims’ families were provided with skills development and income generation programmes. A small amount of monetary support was also provided for them to invest and to run a small grocery shop and goat farm. Although the initial funding period is over, the CVC has been regularly keeping in contact with these victims to observe how they have benefited from the activities, and are discussing with the embassy funding for further programmes.

Justice and Reconciliation for Transitional Period

This program was funded by Canadian Cooperation Office (CCO) and also aims to help conflict victims to raise their economic condition through skills development and income generation training. The programme further works to provide legal assistance for disappearance cases and extra-judicial killings.

Besides the above programmes, the CVC has documented disappearance cases in Bardiya district. CVC has been campaigning for justice for victims and for establishing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), organising many activities such as protests. CVC has been developing citizens’ awareness of the legal instruments for filing cases for disappearances and the extra-judicial killings.

CVC is working to establish a network of the organisations working for conflict victims. CVC is further trying to seek the attention of concerned international organisations by providing information about the conflict victims, especially the victims of disappearances. CVC recently submitted a memorandum to the government through the Chief District Officer (CDO) of Bardiya to apply moral pressure for the establishment of the TRC, a Disappearances Commission and Reparations Commission, which the government has now agreed to form.

Anti-amnesty campaign

CVC has launched a campaign against giving amnesty for crimes committed during the conflict. CVC filed a petition to the Supreme Court against the provision of amnesty in Truth and Reconciliation Commision. It has been pressing the government to make the process more victims-centric and to consult victims before taking any decision regarding reparation or compensation. It has been further raising awareness about the TRC and CIED and provision of the commissions. It has been also working to prepare the vicitms to appear in fornt of the commissions and how to take part in discussions.