Dr. Rita Dhungel is an assistant professor with the School of Social Work and Human Services at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford. BC. Born in Nepal, Dr. Dhungel has been involved in social justice paths through her involvement in teaching, community building and transformative research both in local and international contexts. Her collaborative work with trafficking survivors for sexual exploitation and people living with HIV in Nepal and Alberta are examples of her aspirations and ethical stands for social justice research. She comments,
I do not want to do the research for the sake of research. I strongly believe that Participatory Action Research is the only one approach that does not only promote power dynamic in research processes but also focuses on the level of participation of co-researchers and their liberation.
Her Participatory action research has exemplified the advancement of personal and social change on multiple levels.
For example, using photovoice as an advocacy and empowerment tool, a study entitled “Reintegration of trafficking survivors in Nepal” provided trafficking survivors with opportunities to come in a common platform and co-construct knowledge together with the involvement in photovoice exhibitions and street dramas. The activities helped communities at large to critically understand their intersectional gender oppression and the roles of communities in addressing the issues.