Network of Families of the Disappeared(NEFAD), Nepal (formerly known as National Network of Families of Disappeared and Missing Nepal) was founded in 2009 to support families of victims of enforced disappearances during the 1996-2006 internal conflict in Nepal. Beginning as a true grassroots movement, NEFAD brings together family associations in districts most impacted by enforced disappearance, giving local victims a national voice.
Memory Ceremony in Kathmandu, Bipin Bhandari and Dil Bahdadur Rai
NEFAD conducted participatory research to determine needs of the families of the disappeared. Read the complete report here.
While many families were actively trying to find their missing loved one as soon as they were disappeared, many family associations were not able to fully organize until after the conflict ended in 2006. Groups like the Committee for Social Justice (CSJ) in Lamjung and Conflict Victims Committee(CVC) in Bardiya created a network of activists to speak out for the needs of families affected by forcible disappearance. NEFAD was formed to give local organizations such as the CSJ and CVC; a unified voice at the highest levels in Nepal’s transitional justice process, connecting rural victims of conflict with policy makers in Kathmandu.
Ram Kumar Bhandari: His Story
Ram Kumar Bhandari founded NEFAD after seeing the need for a unified voice for victims in Nepal’s transitional justice process. He is also the founder of Committee for Social Justice( CSJ) which plays a role of NEFAD secretariat and co-founder of NEFAD His activism began with the search for his own father after he was forcibly abducted by members of the army.
NEFAD Nepal 