Rights & Governance is considered as one of the cross-cutting sectors of DAM dedicated toward the right-based developmental approach. Slowly the sector is flourishing through its multidimensional projects & institutes based upon rights oriented causes.
From rights perspectives, DAM expands its work to increase awareness and capacitate vulnerable groups of children, girls and women for prevention of violence. Violence faced by these groups leads to children remaining out of school and living and working on the streets, being engaged in hazardous work, face physical and mental torture, sexual exploitation and abuse, and human trafficking.
THE BEGINNING
In 2006, DAM designed a perspective plan encompassing four areas for sectorial perspective. One of them was ‘Human Rights & Social Justice’ back then which is now known as, ‘Rights & Governance’ Sector. The two prongs of this development approach reached the target population through many different strategies in last 16 years.
Founding Program Response on Protection Issues: Combat trafficking, prevention and protection against violence, child abuse, and child labor, protect minorities from discriminations, rights for identity and citizenship, victims from abuse, gender discriminations. Program responses to the exercise entitlements are community capacity building and empowerment, strengthening and sensitization of local government institute, public and social services; establish rights to information through ICT system, policy dialogue on human rights & social justice particularly advocacy for gender inequality, to eradicate child labor, trafficking of women and children, policy influence and lobbying with relevant stakeholders.
CURRENT PROGRAMMATIC FOCUS
The current programmatic focus of sectorial initiatives are threefold: (a) to reduce all forms of violence against the vulnerable groups of children, adolescent and young girls and women of the poor households; (b) to disseminate information on rights and entitlements under right-to-information (RTI) acts to increase people’s access to services; and (c) to facilitate community monitoring and social accountability of the service-providing institutions.
In doing so, DAM is rigorously working on community capacity building as well as institutional capacity building of the duty bearers, collectively enabling the right-holders and duty-bearers to work together toward providing & accessing quality services as per individual rights and entitlements.
SECTOR STRATEGY 2015-25
Rights and Governance sector prioritizes:
- Improved governance and increased community engagement in monitoring of inclusive public services to the poor and disadvantaged population
- Promoting active citizenship in reduction of violence against women and children and increased access to public information
- Community and institution based services to the victims of violence and vulnerable people for sustainable livelihood and living with dignity
Major Rights & Governance Programmes (Field Based):
- Anti Trafficking
- Child Protection
