Conflict Resolution : Importances

Social Conflict

Simply, conflict is the state of struggle between any two or more people or groups to fulfill one’s self interest. It is a developed form of social dispute which then starts to indicate the abnormal situation of a rural society and ultimately of a state as well.

Conflict might create violence and often the destruction in various infrastructures of the rural society slowing down the development activities or even reversing them. Thus, it is crucial to reach to the root of conflict and to figure out its causes before thinking about conflict resolution. Here are some of the reasons for the conflict prevalent in our society.

Reasons for Conflict in Nepal

The first and most important reason for conflict in Nepal is the plurality and diversity in the society. This diversity creates the differences in the Values, Attitudes, Needs, Expectations and Status of people and ultimately conflict arises in the society.

We all know that about 18 percent of Nepalese people are under the poverty line. Due to the growing unemployment, they are compelled to sustain their life in scarcity with very low financial condition. The rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer. This imbalance has created a type of frustration to people towards the government and society giving invitation to the conflict.

We are living in a society with a slogan of ‘Unity in Diversity’. But this diversity has created various inequalities in our society. The cast system is still prevalent in our society where lower cast people are never treated well. Different social distortions, mal-practices and discriminations such as dowry system, untouchability, women trafficking, violences are some of the burning examples of it. These malpractices are adding fuel to the burning issue of social conflict.

Although we have insured the participation of every backward people in the governance system, many people are still unaware about it. This is due to the lack of education, awareness and capture of elite group. This creates inequality and opens the door for social conflict.

To describe in short, fault in the governance system, development system, and service delivery system are responsible for the majority of conflict in our society. This creates varieties of unusualities in society.

Effects of Social Conflict

The first and the most dangerous effect of social conflict is that it drops the coordination among the people in the society. This hampers the society in multi-dimensional ways. As coordination is must for the long run of the society, social conflict creates the imbalance in the society.

The lack of coordination and cooperation among people badly affects the social tolerance, understanding and unity. Decreasing the social harmony, it may create several social distortions.

Along with these, the social conflict may cause violence and often destruction of social resources and properties. This may create obstruction in social development and different construction activities. This is the most dangerous effect of social conflict on society which might push the development activities backwards. And in the developing countries like Nepal, where there is no sufficient resources to re-construct, development might be pushed several years backwards.

As we all know that, Nepal is well-known in the world for its various historical and cultural resources. The violence created from social conflict might be a threat to these resources. These resources to which we call as our recognition might get extinct due to social conflict.

Thus, to protect our society from all these abnormalities, conflict resolution is essential to safeguard our society from its violent outbreak. Emphasizing PPC (Protective, Promotive and Corrective) measures, conflict resolution seeks every ways not to let the conflict occur in the society, and in case conflict occurs, it seeks measures to reduce its negative effect by solving immediately and never letting the conflict occur in the future. And hence, conflict resolution is responsible for establishing the ideal rural society with the following positivities.

Positive Aspects of Conflict Resolution

First of all, the positive aspect of a conflict resolution is that it establishes the culture of social cooperation and mutual understanding decorating the society with the fragrance of social harmony. It helps in establishing the good relation among the people which is the most essential aspect of a moral society. Spreading awareness throughout, it helps in increasing the people participation in various development activities discouraging the capture of elite groups.

The social means and resources which were in the hands of limited people start to get distributed in an equi-justice manner. Resolution of prevalent conflict provides equal opportunity for the member of societies to discuss on several social issues. It seeks for the rational and peaceful settlement of disputes. Through the discovery of various new ideas, it helps in establishing a creative society.

Through the eradication of different social distortion, conflict resolution tries to pull up the people living with disability, discrimination and disparity and uplift their living standard. It helps in strengthening the social unity. And also through the reformation in different social institutions, conflict resolution ultimately plays an important role in the protection of fundamental rights.

To sum up, the social conflict which was understood negatively in the past has now become a crucial element for the establishment of an equitable society. Social conflict is not itself negative, it depends on its resolution. If resolved in time, it helps in discovering various essential ideas to develop a stable rural society omitting its detrimental effects. 

Hence, conflict resolution helps to establish equality among people and maintain social justice. It develops a situation of respect for everyone’s feelings. Through the peaceful solution of problems and protection of fundamental rights, it helps to gear up the rural development activities which finally lead to the protection of human rights through multi-dimensional national development.

THANK YOU !!!