BWCO works to accomplish its
goals, aims and objectives through human rights education, training,
workshop, dissemination, documentation, fact-finding, research,
publications, advocacy, campaign and networking.
CURRENT PROGRAMMES/ACTIVITIES
BWCO has established
a Children’s Educational programme. It
has provided
educational
scholarship assistance to
94 refugee students
June 2004:
Since June, 2004, BWCO has been providing educational
support/scholarship to 41 refugee children/students
PAST ACTIVITIES
Some of the activities undertaken by BWCO in the past are
enumerated below:
June 2003:
BWCO provided educational support/scholarship
to 38 refugee children/students in 2003.
June 2003: BWCO
participated in a training entitled as “From Global to Local”,
which included a training on the preparation of Shadow/ NGO
alternative reports for submission to the CEDAW Committee,
monitoring of the implementation of the CEDAW Convention, the
dynamics of the reporting process and the mechanics of the CEDAW
sessions, in New York, USA on June 25- July 07, 2003. She also
attended the 29th CEDAW Session in the United Nations, New York on
June 30 to July 04, 2003. The vent was organised by the
International Women's Rights Action Watch - Asia
Pacific
June 2003:
BWCO provided educational
support/scholarship to 15 refugee children/students in 2003.
May
2002:
BWCO's President
participated in the Eighth Session of the Working Group on Minorities
of the United Nations Human Rights Commission’s Sub-Commission in
Geneva, Switzerland, (May 27-31, 2002). Her participation was
sponsored by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
She presented an oral and written intervention on the plight of
Bhutanese refugees, minorities, women and children.
May
2002:
In May, 2002, BWCO
translated and published a book “A Compilation of International
Minority Rights” from English into Nepali language in the form of one
document. The book contains the principles and provisions for the
promotion and protection of minority rights enshrined in 38
international instruments, declarations and conventions.
The Book
May
2001:
BWCO's President
participated in a training seminar on the International Minority
Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, ( 07-13, May, 2001).
May
2001:
The President of BWCO
participated in the Seventh
Session of the Working Group on Minorities of the United Nations Human
Rights Commission’s Sub-Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, (May 14-18,
2001) and presented an oral and written intervention on the plight of
Bhutanese refugees, Christian
minorities, women and children.
February 2001:
BWCO organised a training
seminar on “International Minority Rights, advocacy strategies and the role
of NGO in defending minority rights” for Bhutanese refugee women teachers
from the seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal at Kathmandu, Nepal on
February 10-15, 2001.
2000:
BWCO also organised two
training seminars on Women's Human Rights and Gender Issues to provide
better understanding of women's rights for Bhutanese refugee women teachers
from the seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal at Kathmandu, Nepal in
2000.
May, 2000:
BWCO President
participated in a training seminar on the International
Minority Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, ( 15-21, May, 2000)
May, 2000:
BWCO President participated
in the Sixth Session of the Working Group on Minorities of the United
Nations Human Rights Commission’s Sub-Commission in Geneva,
Switzerland, (May 22-26, 2000) and presented an oral and written
intervention on the plight of Bhutanese refugees, minorities, women and
children
April,
2000:
BWCO President
participated in a training course on "Design Management and
Evaluation of Development Projects" in 2000.
Training/Seminars:
BWCO organised training
seminars on Women’s rights for grassroots Bhutanese refugee women at
Kathmandu, Nepal in 1999, 1998, 1997 and 1996. It organised discussions and
meetings on women's rights and empowerment for grassroots Bhutanese
refugee women at the refugee camps in 1994 and 1995. In March 1998 it also
organised training seminar on the Rights of the Child for refugee women at
the refugee camps.
January, 1999:
BWCO
President
participated in the “Global Conference on Organizing Against Sexual
Exploitation Regionally and Globally” in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 26-29,
January, 1999, organised by the CATW-Bangladesh in January, 1999.
March 1998:
In March 1998, BWCO started
a children's educational programme to help a few poor needy
refugee children to receive education. Currently, ten refugee children
belonging to minority groups are studying in the schools.
August
1995:
BWCO President
participated in the Women’s Federation for World Peace
Conference held in Seoul, South Korea in August, 1995.
May 1995:
In May 1995, the
President of BWCO attended the Diplomacy Training Program conducted by the
University of New South Wales, Australia and Training for Trainers organised
by the South Asian Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR) in Kathmandu.
January
1995:
In January,
1995, it established a
skill development training centre for Bhutanese refugee girls in the
refugee camp. Around two hundred refugee girls were trained on tailoring and
type-writing.
August 1994:
In August 1994, four
members of BWCO took part in an International Youth Festival and Conference
on the Rights of Child held in Germany.
1990:
In 1990, members of BWCO took part in the first ever
peaceful pro- human rights rallies in September- October, 1990 in
Bhutan.. In 1990 and 1991, BWCO organised more than a dozen hunger strikes
in India and Nepal highlighting the plight of Bhutanese refugee women and
the denial of their right of return to their country by the Royal
Government of Bhutan.
ADVOCACY
AND
INTERVENTION AT UN
BWCO participates at the UN and other international
forums. It has presented two interventions at the UN Working Group on
Minorities in UN Human rights Commission in Geneva in 2000 and 2001. It
presented its intervention on the status of minorities, women,
children and Bhutanese refugees. Please click on
Advocacy at the UN for
more information
PUBLICATIONS
BWCO translated and published a research
work in the form of a
book “A Compilation of International Minority
Rights” from English into Nepali language in the form of one document.
The book contains the principles and provisions for the
promotion and protection of minority rights enshrined in 38
international instruments, declarations and conventions. |