Community Guidelines

SajhaSabha is dedicated to fostering constructive civic engagement and democratic accountability in Nepal. These Community Guidelines are designed to ensure our platform remains a respectful, factual, and productive space for all users. By using SajhaSabha, you agree to follow these guidelines and help us maintain a positive community.

Our Core Principles

1. Rating and Reviewing Officials

1.1. Encouraged Behaviors

• Provide specific examples to support your ratings and reviews
• Focus on actions and policies rather than personal characteristics
• Rate based on performance in areas such as integrity, responsiveness, effectiveness, and transparency
• Update your ratings as circumstances or performance changes
• Include links to credible sources when referencing specific events or statements

1.2. Prohibited Behaviors

• False or misleading content: Deliberately posting inaccurate information about officials
• Defamation: Making false statements that harm an official's reputation
• Personal attacks: Focusing on personal characteristics rather than professional actions
• Hate speech: Attacks based on ethnicity, religion, gender, caste, or other protected characteristics
• Coordinated manipulation: Organizing groups to artificially inflate or deflate ratings

1.3. Rating Criteria

When rating officials, consider the following dimensions:

• Integrity: Honesty, ethical conduct, and consistency between words and actions
• Responsiveness: Communication with citizens and addressing constituent concerns
• Effectiveness: Ability to achieve policy objectives and deliver results
• Transparency: Openness about decisions, actions, and public information

2. Discussions and Comments

2.1. Encouraged Behaviors

• Engage respectfully with others, even when disagreeing
• Stay on topic and relevant to the discussion
• Provide thoughtful perspectives that add value to the conversation
• Fact-check before posting and cite sources when appropriate
• Acknowledge different viewpoints and seek to understand diverse perspectives

2.2. Prohibited Behaviors

• Harassment: Targeting specific users with unwanted or aggressive comments
• Trolling: Deliberately posting inflammatory content to provoke emotional responses
• Spam: Posting irrelevant, repetitive, or promotional content
• Impersonation: Pretending to be someone else
• Doxing: Revealing private information about others without consent

3. Evidence and Verification

3.1. Submissions and Evidence

• Verify information before posting it on the platform
• Provide context for evidence you submit (e.g., date, location, relevance)
• Respect copyright and privacy when sharing documents, images, or other media
• Indicate the source of information when possible
• Be clear about what is fact vs. opinion in your submissions

3.2. Types of Acceptable Evidence

• Public records: Official government documents, voting records, attendance records
• Media reports: Articles from reputable news sources
• Public statements: Speeches, press releases, social media posts from official accounts
• Verified images/videos: Of public events, infrastructure projects, etc.
• Budget documents: Public financial records and expenditure reports

4. Account and Identity Verification

To maintain the credibility of the platform and prevent manipulation, we require users to verify their identity before posting ratings, reviews, or participating in campaigns. This verification is designed to be secure while respecting user privacy.

4.1. Verification Guidelines

• Provide accurate information during the verification process
• Do not create multiple accounts or attempt to circumvent verification
• Report suspicious accounts that appear to be fake or engaging in manipulation
• Protect your account credentials and do not share them with others
• Update your verification information if it changes

4.2. Privacy Protection

While we verify user identities, we understand the importance of privacy and anonymity in political discourse. Therefore:

• You can use a pseudonym or username for your public profile
• Your verification details are not shared publicly
• You control what personal information is visible to other users

5. Campaigns and Collective Action

5.1. Campaign Guidelines

• Focus on specific, actionable goals related to governance and public policy
• Provide clear, factual information about the issue being addressed
• Be transparent about campaign sponsors and organizers
• Update supporters on progress and outcomes
• Respect the democratic process and advocate through legitimate channels

5.2. Prohibited Campaign Content

• Calls for illegal actions or violence
• Misinformation about public officials or policy issues
• Hateful or discriminatory content or objectives
• Campaigns targeting private individuals rather than public officials
• Fundraising for unauthorized purposes or without proper disclosure

6. Enforcement and Moderation

To maintain these community standards, we employ both automated systems and human moderators to review content. Violations of these guidelines may result in the following actions, depending on the severity and frequency:

6.1. Appeals Process

If you believe that moderation action was taken in error, you can appeal through the following process:

1. Submit an appeal through the "Appeal" option in your account dashboard
2. Provide a clear explanation of why you believe the action was incorrect
3. Include any relevant context or evidence to support your appeal
4. Appeals are reviewed by a different moderator than the one who took the original action
5. You will receive a response to your appeal within 5 business days

6.2. Oversight Board

For cases involving significant content policy questions, or for repeated appeals, matters may be referred to our independent Oversight Board, which consists of representatives from civil society organizations, legal experts, and community members. The Board reviews complex moderation decisions and helps refine our Community Guidelines over time.

7. Reporting Violations

If you encounter content that violates these guidelines, please report it using the reporting tools available throughout the platform. When reporting, please:

• Select the appropriate reason for the report
• Provide additional context that might help moderators understand the violation
• Report only genuine violations, not content you simply disagree with

Reports are reviewed by our moderation team in accordance with our guidelines, typically within 24-48 hours.

8. Updates to Community Guidelines

These Community Guidelines may be updated periodically to address new challenges, incorporate feedback, and improve the platform experience. Major changes will be announced on the platform, and users are encouraged to review the guidelines regularly.

9. Contact and Feedback

We welcome feedback on these Community Guidelines. If you have suggestions for improvement or questions about specific policies, please contact us at:

Email: community@sajhasabha.com
Subject: Community Guidelines Feedback