Swechhya Sangroula (Nepal)


 

Swechhya-Photo-2

“Combatting the trafficking of persons, especially that of women and girls and its modern forms has always been an issue close to my heart “, says Swechhya Sangroula, a young lawyer from Nepal. Swechhya
completed her undergraduate studies at Kathmandu School of Law, a community college in Nepal, and was the recipient of the 2015 President’s Academic Excellence Award.

She started out by participating in a comprehensive research program on the forms of human trafficking in Nepal. She later designed her own campaign called the “Not for Sale campaign” with support from the US Department of State Education and Cultural Bureau, a campaign aimed at raising awareness about the many different and unusual forms of trafficking and the injustices this brings.

Swechhya believes that legal advocacy that responds to the needs of a community is the most effective form of advocacy. For example, by reaching migrant workers and informing them of their rights before they leave Nepal, much can be done to prevent them falling into the hands of traffickers. There is no justification, she says, for ignorance of the law, and community legal advice and legal awareness outreach are crucial. Some of the most deep-rooted inequalities leveled in particular against women, are because of a lack of legal awareness that results in a lack of confidence towards seeking justice, which perpetuates some of the most heinous injustices in societies, disproportionately affecting women.

Throughout her legal studies and now, as a lawyer, Swechhya has been mentoring young people and supporting them to find ways, through volunteering, to increase legal awareness and legal outreach. The goal of her initiatives has been to introduce young law students in Nepal to the real-life injustices and challenges faced by women, something not captured in textbooks. She is currently President of the Nepalese Law Students’ Association (NeLSA), an umbrella organization of law students from various universities across Nepal that works with young law students and attorneys towards a ‘socially responsive legal professionalism ‘.

Swechhya has volunteered with Amnesty International in designing a Human Rights Education Youth Guide for young activists wanting to raise their voices against torture and how it disproportionately affects women and girls.

“The most satisfying part of what I do”, says Swechhya, “is coming across the human face of stories that I hear from survivors of human trafficking and torture and realizing how every little step counts. It encourages me deeply when my mentees share my vision in working towards a legal profession that caters to the needs of the neediest in the community “.

As part of her advocacy, she volunteered with a Youth Broadcasting Service Channel to design and host a television show in both English and Nepali on national television. The goal of the TV show was to ask
questions about common concerns and human rights to political leaders, academics and human rights advocates. In 2014, she had a chance to interview the then Prime Minister of Nepal, Honorable Jhalanath Khanal and that show was broadcast throughout Nepal.

Swechhya has achieved all this by the age of 25. She became a part of the Global Changemakers family in 2012 and since then has learnt the importance of exposure to diversity and the benefits it can yield. After years of advocacy, she says, “it can be rather tempting to think of yourself as the ‘mighty helper who is there to fix things’. Mentoring prevents falling into such traps because the relationship between mentor and mentee challenges a set way of thinking and makes you more humble. “