The plight of the Kamiyas after liberation

Narendra Kumar Chaudhary, Chairman, Tharu Welfare Society, Nepal

The Tharu community is the largest group by population in the Terai plains of Nepal. They are well spread over east to west in the foothills of the Churia hills and in the plains. The Kamaiya system-bonded labor system-is existing only in the Tharu community in the mid-western and far-western region of Nepal. And some traces are also found in the western region too. This tradition is in vogue since centuries. In this tradition, landlords pay some money to the tenants (read Kamaiya’s family) and the whole family members turn into Kamaiyas from the date he holds the money. The whole family has to work whole year. There is no age bar. All in the family have to work necessarily. There is contract of one year between the landlord and the Kamaiya. The Kamaiya can neither drop in the middle nor they can break the contract agreed upon between the two. This contract is made only during the month of Magh-December-January every year.

After His Majesty’s Government’s fresh decision abolishing the bonded labor system, the landlords expelled the poor Kamaiyas from their houses. Because the house shelter facilities were provided by the landlords. The decision was made in a hurry without doing any needed homework and without any preparation, though we have already welcomed the decision.

Unfortunately, the decision arrived at by the government in a hurry have created so many problems thereafter. Instead of becoming the Kamaiyas future bright, it is just the other way round. Had the HMG/N would have the done the homework looking deep into the matter, there wouldn’t have arose the problems relating to the Kamaiyas.

As the government abolished the bonded labor system, the landlords of those districts immediately reacted. They formed a group and issued a statement against the government. They have decided to go to the courts and took certain drastic steps against the Kamaiyas. The action includes expelling them from their houses, offering no works and discarded the entire lot socially. In addition to these, the landlords decided not to cooperate them in any of their future activities.

The relationships between the landlords and the Kamaiyas have become so bitter and cold that none of the landlords would wish to help them. Since the harvesting season was over at time of the government’s decision, the Kamaiyas had already served their former landlords. Sinnce then they have no work in the farms nor they possess any other skills other than the agricultural jobs. Because of this, the Kamaiyas are under tremendous stress and loss both. Today they have been forced to hand-to-mouth problem. The first ever worse situation the Kamaiyas are facing at the moment. There is no food, no house, no shelter and above all no job. They have been forcedly converted from former labor to the slums. The Durga puja and the Tihar festivals are at hand and they have nothing to celebrate these top Nepali festivities. The government decision has thrown them in to the hell.

There are so many NGOs and INGOs working in that sector for a decade or so for the welfare of the Kamaiya families and to make them aware of their rights as Nepali citizens and providing skill-trainings for diversification of jobs. These schemes include the upliftment of the Kamaiyas economically and giive education to them and their dependents. They have the data update of the Kamaiyas. The NGOs have done some good works at some places. The men associated with the NGOs have rehabilitated few families of the Kamaiyas. But in this case, the NGOs did not handle the matter in a manner as it should have been. Either they have not the idea on how to proceed, or they have not imagined that it could go beyond their reach. The situation is such that due to the improper handling of the Kamaiya case at the moment by the NGOs, the Kamaiyas have instead been feeling provoked and as a result the NGOs have agitated the surfs and brought them to the streets and even forced them to march to Kathmandu to pressurize the government. The NGOs should know that the Kamaiyas problem, is not a political issue. It is rather an socio-economic issue, which Kamaiyas are facing since years and years. Knowing all these things, the way the NGOs played the roles for the freedom of the Kamaiyas should not have been like that. Instead they should have taken other ways for example, rehabilitation programs and the likes.

The government did it in such a hurry that neither the government herself nor the NGOs working in this sector could analyze the pros and cons of the decision. Because of that the situation instead of going in favor of the Kamaiyas have gone otherwise. Instead of getting relief, the Kamaiyas now find themselves in more trouble than what they had been facing when they were in the jurisdiction of their former landlords. Not only that, if their case is not handled properly even today, they may migrate from one place to another inside the Nepalese territory and finally sneaking into neighboring India which would understandably be the worst result of the government’s immature decision.

To recall, during the time of the erstwhile regime when the system effected the land reform program in the Dang district, for example, thousands of people-Tharus- were forced to migrate to India in search of food, work and shelter. The history should not repeat. Wisdom must prevail upon the Nepalese leaders currently manning the system at the moment.

After the restoration of multi-party system, the Tharu Welfare Society-TWS- had been requesting the successive governments with great sorrow and grief that the bonded labor system be abolished and the issue related with the Kamaiyas be resolved through high-level Kamaiya rehabilitation commission.

The Tharu Welfare Society welcomes the government’s decision for legally abolishing the practice of bonded labor. Though this decision, rough estimates have it that some sixty plus thousand Kamaiya families have been made free. However, the question arises as to how these families will be settled down and lives a normal life befitting a human being. The government of course has declared a policy of resettling the freed Kamaiyas by providing land and skill training. But how effectively the government will bring into action its avowals remains to be watched.

At this stage the Kamaiyas are facing lot of problems. The TWS appeals all the NGOs, INGOs and the likes working in this sector to bring the normalcy and harmony between the former landlords and the newly freed Kamaiyas. They should also concentrate their efforts at time of the rehabilitation of the Kamaiyas.

The TWS also appeals the government in Kathmandu to immediately form the high level commission to resolve the present crisis being faced by the Kamaiyas.

French NGOs contribution lauded

Kathmandu: ‘La Maison du Nepal-Nepali House-was established twelve years ago in GAP, the capital city of the Upper Alps, the French department that is situated at a distance of 180 kilometers from the Mediterranean sea and that borders Italy.

Jacques BEAUME, a very sentimentally attached friend of Nepal in France was the real initiator of this French NGO. Concurrently, one can also in a passing reference say that one of the main architects of this special friendship between Nepal and this particular French region was the then Ambassador of Nepal to France Mr. Keshab Raj Jha.

The French NGO since its very inception has been working to establish permanent exchanges between Nepal and the Upper Alps based on mutual cooperation. Thus, many Nepalese friends have since then visited the Upper Alps region in France in order to acquaint the public of this area about Nepal.

A counterpart Nepalese association to the French NGO, “Friends of “Nepali Ghar” has been established in Kathmandu with Ambassador Jha as its chairman. Furthermore, many French authorities have joined or contributed for the consolidation of these two NGOs in France and Nepal respectively.

Those supporting these two institutions are, for example, were Mr. Pierre Bernard REYMOND-ex-minister and EU member and the mayor of the city of GAP.

The ongoing projects undertaken by the GAP are: workshops in high altitude rescue and first aid conducted regularly in the premises of the Alliance Francaise by Mr. Beaume. The workshop is free of cost and open to all. A special official French diploma is handed to the participants at the end of the workshop; creation of cooperation links between the Khotang district of Nepal and Upper Alps; the present exhibition at the AF is to introduce the Alps to the Nepalese public with the special help of the Aristide Briand High School of GAP and effort of Ms. Caroline David and Ms. Sophie Amphoux. Civil aviation minister Tarini Datt Chataut, at the premises of the AF, inaugurated the exhibition.

Charge de’ affaires at the French embassy, Didier Nourisson also spoke on the occasion.

The exhibition is open till September 22, 2000.

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