Jasmine Ojha
What is your cause/area of focus? Children & Women’s Rights
Tell us about yourself. Who are YOU?
I’m an 18-year-old young feminist. I believe in equality and change. I was 13 years old when I realized that, to bring change, you first need to start from yourself, then the country. My journey started from being a child rights activist to an advocate of women's rights. Now I’m studying law and I have a keen interest in politics. I have an aim to become the revolutionary leader that Nepal has been searching for.
Tell us all about your cause/area of focus. Why is it important to you?
I was very young when one of my teachers tried to violate me but when I spoke against that teacher not many people tried to listen to me. After I raised my voice [publicly], many other students began to speak up for themselves and at last, that teacher was punished.
Wow. Besides your personal experience with that teacher, what else led you to become involved in your cause? What inspired you to begin living for change?
I used to study different organizations in my coursebooks and I heard the stories of different inspiring youth who brought changes in their countries at young ages. People tried to be domineering, telling me many times that “you’re a very young girl and you don’t have to do [this], you need to grow first”.
I wanted to prove to society that age is just a number, you can change the world even at a young age. While walking to my home from DurbarMarg, Ktm, I caught a road accident but I was safe that day - and I realized how important my life was. Everyone is born for a purpose and I’m also born with a purpose to change the world.
What have you been doing to spread the word and/or to help your cause so far?
So in my journey from a single fighter, I’ve had a realization that I cannot change the country alone. Tthere are many other people who want to do something. A group of people with the same thought can be more powerful.
Life is so uncertain - you never know where it will take you. Fighting and speaking against the violence [against women and children], talking about rights I never knew about when I became an advocate for victims, that led me to start running a club named “Mission Smile Nepal” and later on, I registered it legally as a social organization.
While studying in my 10th grade (in 2017), I became the youngest speaker of UNESPA, talking about the 70-year bilateral friendship between the US and Nepal. After that, we did a protest against rape - supporting rape victim Nirmala Panta in Maitighar Mandala, Kathmandu, demanding the death penalty for the person proven guilty which became a national issue.
At my organization, Mission Smile Nepal, we are working in the field of children, women and youth, with the theme, “focus on winning hearts, not awards, awards follow when hearts are won and works are done”. We started our organization to bring about a metamorphosis in the society and the country. In our organization, we do advocacy for the rights of children and women. We conduct different kinds of events which focus on youth involvement, to make them more enthusiastic. We raise the voices against Violence Against Women and Gender-Based Violence. We are working on indicators and helping children’s clubs to make their area declared as Child-Friendly Local Governance ( CFLG ). We also conduct different kinds of awareness programs and various events where we get to know about many new things. If anyone is suffering through any kind of violation, we show them the procedure to solve that case.
My Vice-President (of Misson Smile Nepal), Archana Pandit is an inspiring personality who does advocacy in cases of violation. She is involved in other different organizations for the betterment of the country. She also aims to be the change-maker politician for the betterment of the country’s future.
Growing up, did you know you would become an activist/or start a social organization calling for change?
Growing up, I never knew that a feminist, a change-maker was rising inside me. From a very young age of 11 years, I used to speak up against violence and injustice. No one ever realized that the voice of a little kid would turn so much louder, that I would raise my voice each day if I saw an injustice. So I had a thought -that I will bring change/revolution in my country.
What is the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome in your journey?
I had to overcome all those societal norms and values which questioned me just because I was a girl. I had to say to the world and my society, yes I’m a girl. I will drink and have a night party which will not make me be a spoilt girl. I will learn to cook, not because I have to feed my husband after marriage but because I want to be independent and be able to adjust in all situations. I will learn to whistle like boys, not because I will tease others, but simply because I want to show my society that I’m a girl and I can do everything that boys do. I will go to meetings - maybe I will get home late, but I will not accept questions from my neighbourhood just because I’m a girl.
It was all the obstacles of society that I had to overcome.
How and when will you judge success? What’s your endpoint?
This is just the beginning. I have many more things left to do in my life. For me, success means being aware of the choices and decisions you’ve made that have led or will lead to the goals that you have chosen.
So what other initiatives are you working on?
I have heard a lot of stories about those women who are suffering and being killed every day in the name of dowry. I’m doing research on the people who are victimized due to this evil ritual of society. Girls are not born for sale, you give dowry because you don’t have faith in your daughter, you discriminate her and believe that she will be a burden to you if she stays at home and the reason of her staying at home will be you not giving dowry.
Recently, one husband killed his wife because she refused to add more money even after their marriage. Her 8-year-old daughter is suffering through depression today as she saw her father spreading petrol on her mother’s body and killing her. This is not the story of single women or happening only in Terai - this is the story of every woman who suffers every day with this problem and has no solutions. So, I will be working against the Dowry System to bring change in the country and to society.
No, we girls are not for sale. To marry me, you have to accept the way I am - and [I will] choose my own lifestyle.
Who inspires you?
To be honest, I believe that you need to find inspiration within you so I do not have that kind of inspirational person in my life. Still, if I have to say, my source of inspiration is my mother. My brother and I were very young when my father went abroad since then my mother became my guardian. She grew me by being a strong lady, a strict father and a loving mother. I bow my head towards her and do “Namaste mother” because she told me to be a leader without any fear. She told me that if you’re right, and your question raised is correct, do not be scared of the society or the world for what they say about/to you. Just listen to your heart but do not forget to use your brain while listening to your heart, then see nothing can stop you from being successful. You will rise up and shine in the sky like the brightest star. [That’s what she has taught me].
What advice would you give to any woman who wants to be an activist like you?
I would say, you are born with a certain purpose so do something that gives you satisfaction and bring a change in your country. You know it’s not easy to do anything - for everything to go perfect, you have to do hard work and have patience. Even if you fail many times, do not lose hope, keep trying and one day you will succeed. Believe in yourself, you’re a diva and you’re beautiful. You can do everything that males can do, so don’t lose your spirit and keep shining.
Complete this sentence: “I am #LivingForChange because” I’m a feminist, a freedom fighter, a leader. Evolution is not brought only through a protest/war. It’s the loud voice of a single person that inspires metamorphic change in the world. Change begins within you!
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