Badi women, the victims of social inequality

By Perina Pathak

KATHMANDU, Nov 29 – Gita Nepali (name changed), a Badi (oppressed community) woman is finding tough to get birth registration and citizenship certificates for her children just because they belong to the oppressed community.

Sexually harassed and exploited, over fifty percent of Badi women are compelled to live the life of sex workers in Mid and Far Western districts like Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Dang, Salyan and Pyuthan.

The Badi community dwells in those districts with no land of their own to cultivate, house to live in and worst of all they are treated inhumanly in the society. The Badi community has always been the victims of the practice of untouchability as they are socially prohibited from entering into the premises of the Hindu temples.

"When our first baby was born, my husband left me for another woman, I was compelled to indulge in flesh trade for the livelihood of my mother and child for a year," laments Gita.

She added, "In order to get citizenship certificates, we (she and her mother) deliberately deceived the officers saying that my father has already been dead."

Though her husband has left for another woman he visits her frequently yet he refuses to give his name to the children.

Gita is not only one to be deprived of this right, other people belonging to the Badi community have suffered the same fate.

Saguni Chaudhari, also from the Badi community and married to Chaudhari, was successful after twenty years of constant struggle in recieving the birth certificate and the citizenship certificate.

"I fought with all those who came on my way and at last I succeeded in getting my inborn right," says Chaudhari, who is now a member of ward number 11 of Ghorahi municipality.

Living happily with her husband, son and three grandchildren, Chaudhari was years ago compelled to leave her house by her family members. "I even worked as a wage labourer earning Rs 7-8 per day, sometimes without anything to eat for days, ," says Chaudhari.

Just as Gita and Saguni, the majority of women and men from the Badi community are still falling vicitms of social inequality "We want equal opportunity and want to live the life of a dignified human being in our society," says Manju Nepali, co-ordinator of the Badi Women Regional Committee.

Manju Nepali was speaking at a workshop programme on Recent Picture of Badi Community and State’s Responsibility organised by SAFE – Nepal Association constituted by the Badi community for their welfare.

In the programme participated in by more than 60 Badi women, the real picture of exploitation and oppression committed toward the Badi people was portrayed.

"Badi people have problems in all areas like social, legal, economic, educational, residential and political, which need desperate elimination," says Suk Lal Nepali, General Secretary of SAFE-Nepal and board member of Dalit NGO Federation.

According to him, Badi women are working as sex workers for the past 60 years, though they entered Nepal around 400 or 500 year ago. "First, they entered as dancers and later their profession changed into flesh trade", he says.

"Many programmes came in the name of Dalits but nothing has happened for the uplift of the Badi people," laments Suk Lal Nepali, "Now we ourselves are doing something for the welfare of our community as a whole."

AIDS : Most devastating
disease mankind ever faced

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 29 – At the end of Year 2001, an estimated 40 million people are living with HIV and five million people are newly infected in the year 2001 alone, states the latest Global Summary of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic, a report by UNAIDS and WHO.

Twenty years after the first clinical evidence of AIDS was reported, AIDS has become the most devastating disease humankind has ever faced. Since the epidemic began, more than 60 million people have been infected with the virus.

In Asia and Pacific, an estimated 7.1 million people are now living with HIV/AIDS. The epidemic has claimed 435,000 people in the region in 2001.

The apparently low national prevalence rates in many countries in this region are dangerously deceptive.

The most recent figures released here by the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control (NCASC) in Teku, Kathmandu, show that only 2,097 people have tested positive for HIV, of which 533 have developed to the AIDS stage.

But an unofficial estimate of the epidemic does come up with much higher infection number. According to officials at the NCASC, the actual number of people infected with HIV and AIDS could be between 65,000- 70,000.

The frightening aspect of the HIV scenario in Nepal has been the rapid increase of infection in high-risk groups, such as commercial sex workers (CSWs) and injecting drug users (IDUs).

According to NCASC, of the 2,097 infected with HIV in the kingdom, 1,278 contracted the disease after intercourse with CSWs. The second highest groups of patients are CSWs themselves, 416 of whom have tested positive for the virus. The third highest infected sub- groups are the Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs) with 235 cases.

Awareness programmes for occupational safety emphasised

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 29 - There should be more awareness-raising programmes, campaigns and trainings to all professional workers for the prevention of occupational accidents, experts said.

The press conference on "Occupational Safety and Health Week (OSHW) 2058" was organised by the OSHW organising committee.

Yubaraj Sharma, member secretary, National Occupational Safety and Health Week Organising Committee, said, "all national and international industrial departments should work with commitment and develop their network for the improvement in the health of their workers.

He further said if they suffered or lost their lives due to the disease caused from industrial health hazardous elements, it would not only be the loss to their family but also to the nation for losing productive manpower.

The reports of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimated that two hundred and fifty million workers become victims of occupational accident and 160 million suffer from various health problems.

Every year OSHW is observed with the co-ordination of various international agencies and government institutions like Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT), Democratic Confederation of Nepalese Trade Union (DECONT), Nepal Trade Union Congress (NTUC), Federation of Nepalese Cottage and Small Industry (FNCSI) and so on.

It is going to be observed in various parts of the country like Biratnagar, Hetauda, Butawal, and Nepalgunj.

Thousands observe Ghost Fete

JANAKPUR, Nov 29(PR) - Thousands of people from the neighbouring districts Dhanusa, Siraha and Indian towns have come to the Kamala River to observe "Ghost Fete", one of the most celebrated festival that begins from Friday.

Hundreds of traditional faith- healers from the nearby districts dressed in yellow clad and singing religious hymns have already arrived in the bank of the Kamala River to participate in this colourful fete. Reports say that hundreds of devotees were residing in their temporary huts near the bank of the river and worshipping their family deity. Apart from it they are performing all the religious rites to please their deity including singing and dancing whole night. Almost half of the participants in the fete are women.

According to traditional faith- healer, Nathuni Yadav, the devotees who claim to possess divine virtues on them should wash their body on the holy waters of Kamala to please the god.

Similarly, people believe that all the sins are washed off when bathing in the river and god blesses with happiness and prosperity.

"I have come here because I don’t have a grandchild although my son has been married ten years ago," said an elderly man who had come all the way from Mahendranagar of Dhanusa.

According to the Tantrism, the month of Kartik is the most suitable month for practising Tantrism and it is believed that devotees are blessed by the god during this month. Similarly, the young well-educated generation too express their deep faith in the fete and its associated beliefs. "It’s not only me who believe in this fete but there are hundreds of youth from my community that have faith on this fete", said Bramadev Shahni of Bagchoud-7.

Likewise, expressing deep faith on the fete Uday Kanta Thakur, former Deputy Mayor of Janakpur Municipality said, "Thousands of people woundn’t have concurred if they didn’t believe".