Last monsoon, the swollen river swept away his hut. He lost many of his belongings in the flood. Then, he took shelter in a neighbor´s house. He has not been able to move elsewhere until now. [break]
The neighbor, who provided shelter to Bhul, also has eight family members. Bhul´s family has six members. Altogether 14 people from two families are now living in a congested two-room house. “All women from both the families sleep on the floor,” says he. “Similarly, all men from both families sleep on the same bed.”
“The river is flowing through where my hut once stood,” says Bhul. “I do not know where to take my family. I am unable to build a new hut.”
Bhul´s grandfather was a plowman in a Joshi family in Shrikot VDC-5 in Baitadi district. Apart from plowing the land, his grandfather would have to do whatever he was asked to. Thirty years ago, the Joshi family migrated down to Kanchanpur.
Having no land to till, Bhul´s father also moved along with the Joshi family. As his father grew too old to work, Bhul started plowing Joshi´s land. Until five years ago, when the government was yet to emancipate Haliyas, he worked for the Joshi family. “I worked there for 13 years,” says he.
On September 6, 2008, the government freed all Haliyas from their landlords. Then, Bhul could no longer work for the Joshi family. He had to start his life afresh. “After we were freed, we did not have to work for the landlords,” says Bhul. “But, life got tougher. All of a sudden, I was on my own. I had nothing to hold on to.”
“When we were working as Haliyas, we would not have to think much about two square meals a day,” says he. Practice of Haliya was thriving until a few years ago in the hills of the far-western and mid-western regions. The practice began when those who took loans from their landlords started plowing their lands to pay off interest.
As they could not pay off loans, even their children ended up working in the landlords´ houses. They did not get paid for their labor. They just got food in exchange for their labor.
In 2008, the government declared the landlords could no longer keep Haliyas. But, there was no effort to rehabilitate the Haliyas and their families. When former Haliyas took to the streets demanding rehabilitation packages, the government decided to collect the details of all former Haliyas, distribute identity cards to them and rehabilitate their families. But, no rehabilitation package has been introduced yet.
According to Ishwor Sunar, general secretary of Haliya Mukta Samaj, an organization of former Haliyas, there are around 20,000 Haliyas living in the mid-western and far-western regions. “None of former Haliyas have been rehabilitated yet,” says Sunar.
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