Designing explanatory comics

Our second priority was to Nepali citizens; creating a space for them to understand their reproductive rights using both accessible language and engaging explainers as well as exploiting the power of visual communication methods. Nepal has a very progressive range of reproductive rights but these are variably implemented across the region and arguably understood by few. Two Supreme Court cases on reproductive rights have made history for Nepal, and yet few of its citizens will know anything about them. We wanted to bring alive the judgment so that anyone could grasp what happened and why they are of such significance.

 

Abortion Law - An illustrated case explainer

We storyboarded the case of Lakshmi Dhikta v Nepal and then asked illustrator Kripa Joshi to create a comic strip from our scribblings. This hugely significant case argued that the government had failed to implement its abortion law, making abortion accessible to only a tiny minority of women (it cost more than the average monthly salary).

Uterine Prolapse - An illustrated case explainer

We storyboarded the Prakash Mani Sharma case and then asked illustrator Kripa Joshi to create a comic strip from our scribblings. Petitioners to this case sought mandamus to enforce obligations of women’s health rights under Article 20(2) of the Interim Constitution and international human rights treaties. The State was accused of doing nothing to address the problem of uterine prolapse (either providing education or surgery), despite allocating funding to this in its budget.