How does the Nepal Monitor virtually map human rights and security incidents?

As noted on its website, “NepalMonitor.org is a system designed to alert local organizations to human rights and security incidents happening in their area, as well allow anyone to easily share incidents they see with local, national, and international organizations.”

It adds, “This should help these organizations to better respond to what happens around them, and keep themselves safe. NepalMonitor.org maps reports from media, collected by large reputable organizations, or sent directly by individuals. You can see these reports or send in your own in multiple ways.”

To report an incident, one can text +977.9808975502, email alert@nepalmonitor.org or fill in this form on their website.

Peace Brigades International provided physical accompaniment to human rights defenders in Nepal starting in 2005-06. PBI-Nepal closed its field office on January 1, 2014.

PBI-Germany then explains, “In 2014, pbi Germany started the NepalMonitor Project in partnership with the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP) to contribute to securing (Women) Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) space in Nepal.”

In July 2014, PBI further noted, “PBI has developed the new innovative tool, Nepal Monitor, which serves as an online protection tool to alert local organizations in Nepal to human rights and security incidents in their area.”

“Nepal Monitor allows anyone to easily share incidents with local, national and international organizations. Contributors and users create a community and engage in cooperative action to protect themselves from human rights abuses and other security threats.”

Our 2014 Annual Review additionally explains, “PBI worked in collaboration with a coalition of 43 Nepali human rights organisations to maintain and develop NepalMonitor, an online and SMS platform sharing information about human rights and security incidents across the country. NepalMonitor mapped 1,772 incidents in 2014, enabling national and international organisations to better respond to human rights violations and improving the safety of human rights defenders.”

Our 2015 Annual Review notes, “NepalMonitor.org was officially launched as a COCAP protection and conflict prevention initiative, supported by PBI in February 2015. Since the end of 2014, 3,342 reports about security and human rights incidents have been mapped in total. One international volunteer, based in Kathmandu, works on this project.”

In 2016, the Nepal Monitor mapped 3,086 security and human rights incidents.

In March 2018, PBI-Germany advertised for an International Peace Worker to manage “the 2,5 year handover process to COCAP and support the organisation in creating a community that effectively engages in joint activities to protect and promote human rights crossing societal divisions.”

As noted in our 2018 Annual Review, “Two international and five Nepali staff members based in Kathmandu coordinate the Nepal Monitor, an initiative established to provide protection and to prevent conflict by mapping security incidents and human rights violations in the country.”

And our to-be-released 2019 Annual Review highlights, “The Nepal Monitor is the most comprehensive violence monitoring and mapping system in Nepal. Five national staff and one international peace worker work to keep the database up to date and accurate as well as performing outreach, capacity building and protection activities with human rights defenders nationwide.”

To learn more about the work of the Nepal Monitor and its innovative online mapping tool, please visit NepalMonitor.org.

You can also read the PBI-Canada articles PBI supports women human rights defenders in Nepal (September 2019) and Nepal Monitor provides two-day digital security training to human rights organizations (March 2020).

Photos from the days of PBI-Nepal accompaniment: