Snapshot of local security and justice perceptions in selected districts of Nepal: District assessment findings

This report investigates the security- and justice-related experiences and perceptions of people living in nine districts in Nepal which are affected by insecurity and weak governance.

After more than a decade of conflict, Nepal is now on the road to consolidating democracy and forging a sustainable peace.

This has provided opportunities for building state infrastructure and further strengthening security and justice provision in response to the needs of Nepal’s citizens. However, ongoing and emerging political and security challenges, as well as inadequate resources, have challenged the strengthening and further improvement of effective, accountable and accessible security and justice sector institutions.

Political instability, marked by a stall in the redrafting of the Constitution and the dissolving of the Constituent Assembly (CA) in May 2012, has undermined the peace process and surrounded the political direction of the country with uncertainty. This will have implications on the future state security and justice architecture, as it relates particularly to issues such as federalism and the demands of marginalised groups.

In this context, it is increasingly important that people’s security needs are met. While the delivery of security and justice continues to be weak in many areas, particularly in remote locations, and the reasons why people feel insecure differ depending on factors such as their economic status, geographical location, gender, ethnicity, caste, age and political associations, there are also good examples where security and justice providers are able to reach out to citizens and collaborate with them to make local security and justice provision more people centred and effective. These good practices should be built upon.

Clear opportunities exist for further strengthening the effectiveness of security and justice provision and, in turn, improving the real and perceived public safety, security and justice of the Nepali people.