An assessment of HRLE shebika with a focus on their effectiveness

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the challenges that the shebikas faced in becoming proactive against human rights violation (HRV) and find out how they could be made more effective in taking action against HRVs. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data collection. The first set of findings were on personal and household attributes of the shebikas, the indicators assumed to have facilitated/ hindered shebikas in taking action against HRVs. The second set of findings show the association of these indicators with the action against HRVs that the shebikas undertook. The shebikas reported about 5,762 HRVs, which took place within a three-year period in their localities. The shebikas were successful in preventing 16% of these HRVs and in the case of 45% they failed. About the rest the shebikas did not take any action. Findings also indicate that a number of factors motivated the shebikas for taking action against HRVs. The personal and structural constraints that the shebikas faced were considered as the main reasons for not initiating any action against HRVs. In order to induce shebikas in taking action against violations and to come up with positive outcome a number of recommendations are made.