Bhumika Shrestha is a transgender woman and activist for the rights of LGBTI people in Nepal. She currently works at the Blue Diamond Society and previously served as the vice president of Sexual and Gender minorities Nepal. Bhumika was a Spokesperson in the Womens Commission and worked on the "1145” helpline service. She was the winner of a transgender beauty pageant contest in 2007 and was included in Apolitical Gender Equality Top 100 and The Most Influential People in Global Policy in 2019. Bhumika was awarded the Government of Nepal's Public Service Shri Fifth Class 2018. Bhumika was the first person in the LGBTIQ community to travel with a passport including the (O) category.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Bridging the Barriers

This project trained 128 Nepal police officers, 4 people from the National Human Rights commission, 6 journalists and 38 community members.to reduce police brutality against transgender sex workers in 4 districts of Nepal (Chitwan, Rupandehi , Kaski and Kathmandu districts). Through classes on SOGIESC (sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics) issues, transgender rights and human rights, participants increased their knowledge on the issues of gender diverse people. Members of the police force have requested additional training in the future. One transgender participant reflected that "there should be regular meetings/training like this in future” noting that ongoing engagement will continue to bring the issues of the community to the forefront.

"I will create sensitization on gender, gender identity and expression along with [a] human rights-based approach with [the] Nepal police, which [will] help to reduce police harassment against transgender people in Nepal." - Bhumika Shrestha

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Bhumika was a recipient of the U.S. Department of State's International Women of Courage Award, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center in partnership with WorldOrlando.

Bhumika's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "[Being recognized as one of the] International Women of Courage [in] 2022, gives me more responsibility to speak about violence against transgender people."

U.S. Communities Visited

Washington, DC; Orlando, FL

Country: Nepal 

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