Shania Shayal Prasad 
Truth and Reconciliation Steering Committee Chair Sashi Kiran
Past unresolved traumas and events, including political instability, coups, and violent protests, have contributed to the current social challenges faced by communities.
While speaking at a two-day workshop on trauma awareness and recovery, Truth and Reconciliation Steering Committee Chair Sashi Kiran highlighted that the challenges include social disintegration, drug abuse, child neglect, and violence against women.
Kiran is calling on communities to reflect on the deep and often painful legacies of past political chaos.
“Each of our communities is now facing deeper, intergenerational issues from the political upheavals of the past 37 years, during which we have seen coups, burning, looting, eviction, mutiny, pain, and trauma that still shocks and shakes us to the bone. Conversations that we will have over the next two days may be difficult.”
49-year-old Madhu Lata, who is also part of the workshop, shared her traumatic experience from the past.
“Many villages were affected. Ladies, they suffered a lot. We just heard about the burning of houses. Shops were broken, like that.”
Meanwhile, the Truth and Reconciliation Bill is before Parliament, with the debate on the Bill set to begin in the next session.
