Girls Advocacy Group (GAG) Member Protected Herself from Domestic Violence

Seema (real name withheld), a 12-year-old girl from a marginalized community, is living with her maternal grandfather and his family. Her mother is living with her new partner in the neighboring District and her mother has never revealed Seema's father's identity to anyone, not even to her parents or daughter Seema. Seema has been living with her maternal grandfather since she was two years old. She has been experiencing physical abuse from her grandfather for the last 4 years. She has been silently tolerating it as she had no one to talk to about her situation.

In January 2024, she joined a Girls Advocacy Group formed by CWISH, where she learned about children's rights and protection issues. Initially, whenever the topic of abuse came up, Seema would look down and remain quiet. However, one day her grandfather beat her with a bamboo stick, and she could no longer stay silent. During a GAG meeting, she spoke up about her experiences, and the members reacted strongly. They decided to write a letter to the Ward Chairperson to report her abuse. After receiving the letter, the Ward Chairperson, Local Police Official, and project team visited Seema’s home to understand the situation better. They found that she lived with her grandfather, two maternal uncles, and their wives. As Seema has shown her interest in living with her mother, the visiting team has called her mother beforehand to Seema's house.

During the interaction, her grandfather admitted hitting Seema to keep her in discipline. He said that she wanted to go swimming with some of her friends, but as he felt that they were not good company for her, he told her not to go. Even after his denial, she went swimming with her friends. So, when she returned to her home, he got angry and beat her, so that she would follow his decision in the future. Hearing that, both the Ward Chairperson and Police Official told him that Physical punishment isn't the right way to keep them in discipline, instead, we need to listen to children and convince them politely. When the team asked what was Seema's interest, she said that she wanted to go and live with her mother. However, her mother was hesitant to take her because she felt she couldn't afford to support her daughter through her income. And his grandfather also said that he didn't let her mother take Seema with her, as she couldn't take care of herself. He also pointed out that if Seema switched schools, she might struggle to keep up with her studies. He apologized to Seema and promised to never beat her again.

Viewing her mother's hesitancy and her grandfather's sincere apology, Seema decided to live with her grandfather and continue her studies. So, the Police Official made her grandfather sign a written agreement that he wouldn't beat her again and if he did so, he was ready to bear the punishment as per the Nepalese Law. During the follow-up by the project staff on her situation, she said that she hasn't faced any abuse from her grandfather since then. Instead, she feels he cares for her and loves her more than before, and she is happy with her decision to stay in his care.