Who We Are

Women’s Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC) is a non-governmental organization working for the protection and promotion of human rights. Established in 1991, WOREC is one of the leading national organizations that works to prevent violence against women, its causes and consequences, and to ensure economic, social and cultural well-being of women as well as other marginalized groups by promoting their access to rights and social justice. 

WOREC started her work with an objective to prevent trafficking of women and children and advocate for the rights of survivors. In the course of work, with the realization that trafficking is one among various other outcomes of women rights violations, WOREC started to work from the broader perspective for women’s right without losing the focus against trafficking. WOREC is the first organization in the country to introduce the concept on safe migration as a tool for prevention of trafficking, and now with learning and experiences from the ground has been broadened within organization’s work frame including labor rights and right to mobility as key to prevent trafficking and slavery-like practices.

Being an organization guided by feminist values, WOREC believes that empowering women to control her body, sexuality and reproduction/production is a key to enable women to exercise her rights. To achieve this, WOREC has been working on women’s sexual and reproductive rights since establishment. Initiating the concept of barefoot gynecologist based on ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves’, developing manuals to facilitate grassroots women to understand their body, body politics and outcomes have always been a major intervention area.

Our History

‘’We began with a small group of seven women but have now reached over 1.7 million women. We have been instrumental to bring a National Plan of Action against trafficking from the government and create /revise government policies to support survivors of trafficking. In 1996, we along with 7 other national NGO’s working in the country, repatriated 126 Nepalese girls who were trafficked to Mumbai and placed them in shelters of these organizations. Girls who were with WOREC at WOREC’s shelter came together and created, the first survivor’s organization in the world, called Shakti Samuha. Similarly our change maker approach enabled us to lay the foundation of 2nd self representative women’s  organization of women working in different restaurants, bars and dancing clubs in Kathmandu, called  Mahila ko Nimti Mahila Manch (Women for Women’s Forum) which has evolved into an established organization working to protect rights  of women working in the entertainment sector as workers. Shakti samuha, 1st survivors organization of the world received the Magsaysay Award, which is considered the Nobel Peace Prize of Asia, and now has influenced all over the world thanks to numerous affiliations with international networks.’’  
– Dr. Renu Adhikari Rajbhandari (Founding Chairperson, WOREC)

Working Districts

At present, WOREC has its presence in 28 districts—Morang, Sunsari, Udaypur, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, , Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Kavrepalanchok, Dang, Kapilvastu Rupandehi, Kailali, Kanchanpur,Doti, and Bajura. However, through different campaigns and programs that are implemented in coordination with Women Human Rights Defenders Network, WOREC has been working for the people throughout the country. Its main office is situated in Lalitpur, along with other branch offices in Morang, Sunsari, Udaypur,  Dhanusha , Sarlahi , Dang, Kapilvastu,  Raupandehi,  and Kailali. There are also classes on JTA and CLA programs being carried out at the Udaypur branch.