The launch of the campaign in Kathmandu on 21 and 22 December 2004 proceeded as planned despite a national strike. The attendance was surprisingly large as people defied blockades and came to attend the inaugural events. The pre-launch campaign activities in 18 districts also took place as per schedule and drew the attention of the people to the issue of the campaign.

The launch began with presentations on violence against women by eminent speakers at the Staff College, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. After the chief guest Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Deputy Prime Minister, spoke on the occasion, there were presentations by Lin Chew, Coordinator, Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women (GAATW); Durga Ghimire, Chairperson, National Network Against Girl Trafficking (NNAGT); Allison Aldred, Regional Director, Oxfam; Padma Mathema, National Rapporteur, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC); Arjun Karki, Chairperson, NGO Federation, Asta Laxmi Shakya, Minister, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and Meena Poudel, student, University of Newcastle.

It was followed by nine roundtable discussions on domestic violence and trafficking of women and children. More than 600 people attended these sessions and the discussions opened public debate on the issue and forced the issue into the open.

The second day began with an event with a difference -- the Woman’s Court -- at the National Academy where 30 women victims of trafficking spoke up. They narrated their travails and their statements were recorded by five human rights activists. The secretary of the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare headed the proceedings and the four jury members included Sahana Pradhan (senior women activist and an ex-minister); Laxman Arayal (a former Supreme Court judge), Nelia Sancho (the founder coordinator of the Asian Women Human Right Council) and Farhad Majhar (the founder coordinator of the South Asian Network for Food, Ecology and Culture).

More than 800 people from 28 districts participated in this event. The jury and audience listened to oral testimonies of pain, suffering, coercion, humiliation and social exclusion. The violence caused to them by the State, individual perpetuators, and even their own family members were brought into the open and the stories brought tears to the eyes of the listeners.The jury observed that it was clear from these testimonies that the current legal approach and safeguards to tackle domestic violence and trafficking are inadequate. It said that the current framework must be broadened to look beyond trafficking as merely relating to the exploitation of women and children for sexual purposes to include a variety of issues and more important viewing them from a human right’s perspectives. The jury also underlined that it was just not women and children but men are trafficked as well. Social isolation of the victims was identified to be an area of concern and one that needs urgent redress. Reservations were raised about the current status of rehabilitation measures and centres in operation. The jury was of the opinion that the monetary fines imposed on the perpetuators should be passed on to the victims so that they can begin life afresh.

The women also performed plays and brought out the various forms of violence perpetuated against women.

On 23 December 2004, a highly visible protest rally was staged in front of the parliament by 250 people. As this is a crowded area it attracted the attention of passers by and many office goers. It was followed by a press conference. The media coverage of the campaign launch and its issues has been persistent and wide. Television channels like Channel Nepal TV, Image TV and Kantipur TV gave wide coverage to the campaign and so did the newspapers.