SRIJANA ACHARYA ONE JOURNEY IN PAIN: The husbands of Laxmi Devi Khadka and Devisara Wali were disappeared by opposing sides during the war, but for these women working together, "the pain is the same".

Four years since the end of the decade-long conflict in Nepal, peace is still elusive for the families of those who were disappeared by the state and the Maoists. This is why in marking August 30 as the International Day of the Disappeared, we stand shoulder to shoulder with these families caught in political, legal and emotional limbo. They have not even been granted the freedom to grieve for their lost loved ones.

Remarkable stories are born out of adversity. For Laxmi Devi Khadka and Devisara Wali, whose husbands were disappeared by opposing sides during the peak of the war, the pain they share is the same. In Bardiya, these two women work together as activists campaigning on behalf of the families of the disappeareds.

Their journey has been a long and frustrating one. Not only do they have to cope with the loss of their life partners while raising children, they have to face the stonewalling of a state reluctant to move the courts on what remains a politically sensitive issue. What's worse, according to Devisara, "Those who took away our husbands are walking free and they are threatening to kill us if we search for answers."

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Same road, SRIJANA ARCHARYA