charges of practicing witchcraft. As an immediate intervention, it has recommended to His Majesty’s Government to create strong legal mechanisms to take serious action against the perpetrators involved in witchcraft cases and provide as compensation an amount of Rs. 50,000.00 to the family of a woman who was killed and Rs.30,000 to the victims who were beaten and subjected to inhuman treatment. The government was made liable for its failure to put in place a strong and adequate legal mechanism to protect the people. The Commission has also been regularly monitoring human rights situation in the conflict areas. In the years 2002 - 2003, it monitored human rights situation in 41 districts which were most affected by the violent conflict between the State and the Maoists and published a report based on its findings. Following the ceasefire announcement on 13 March 2003 by both parties, it proposed a draft code of conduct to both the parties to uphold the ceasefire. Lately, it is actively advocating for the signing of a Human Rights Accord by the State and the Maoists and holding dialogues with the political parties and the civil society to contribute to the peace process from a human rights perspective Considering the seriousness of the problem of trafficking of women and children, the Commission established the Office of the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Women and Children in December 2002. The office has become the focal point for trafficking issues and is facilitating the work of the Commission in several ways. The Commission also published a research report, in cooperation with the Centre for Victims of Torture (CVICT) on the study of insurgency-related torture and disability in the regions affected by the StateMaoist conflict and also implemented a small project to raise awareness on Dalit rights. A report on the 4 situation of human rights in Nepal covering the key areas of civil, political, economic and social rights is, at present, in the press. The Commission has been developing professional relationships with human rights NGOs and the state apparatus, including various human rights cells in the army, the police and the Home Ministry. Likewise, it has established effective partnerships with a few members of the international community who are interested in promoting human rights in Nepal along with the members of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions. The NHRC is going to convene and chair the 8th Annual Meeting of the Forum as well. As one of the reasons for the violation of human rights is lack of knowledge and awareness about human rights, the Commission has conducted various promotional activities targeting police, government officials and other actors. A radio programme on the issue of Dalit rights was launched for 8 weeks with nationwide coverage. A documentation centre has also been established with the assistance of the Danish Institute of Human Rights and is in the process of evolving. A fortnightly e-Bulletin has been a regular and significant feature of the Commission’s work. The e-Bulletin has proven to be an effective medium of informing national and international stakeholders about the work of the Commission. It has inspired some national and international agencies to launch their own e-Bulletins as well. Late last year, the Commission recruited 20 permanent staff to increase its staff size to 27. Now it is contemplating adding some more staff to effectively implement the strategic plan. In early 2003, it went through a restructuring process for the effective execution of its duties and created five divisions with specific functional areas and terms of