JANAKPURDHAM, April 6: When victims of loan sharking from Madhesh Province are presently in the Federal Capital Kathmandu, seeking justice, the Harawa-Charawa (agricultural bonded laborers) community here are all set to embark on a journey to the Province capital Janakpur for their rights. 

The National Harawa Charawa Rights Forum central chair Dashanlal Mandal said they were preparing to begin a Janakpur visit in a bid to create pressure on the stakeholders concerned for the community rehabilitation of freed Harawa-Charawa people. Their journey is named the 'Adhikar Yatra' (right journey). 

The Harawa-Charawa community from all eight districts in the province will be gathering in Janakpur for their rights, and the journey will take place from April 8 to 12 with the theme of "Just rehabilitation of Harawa-Charawa is our concern; land, education, health, employment and social securities are our rights."  

The government on July 18, 2022 declared the liberation of Harawa-Charawa and the move was welcomed as a landmark announcement, but no programs of rehabilitation were introduced. "We are yet to feel our liberation from bonded labor," said Mandal, adding that their life has been more challenging as they have been displaced from their ancestral occupation after being freed from bonded labor.  

"If the provincial government fails to come up with substantive promises, Kathmandu will be our next destination for the movement," he said. 

“The issue of Harawa-Charawa is the matter of national concern specific to Madeshh and the movement will focus on Janakpur first as we want the provincial government to take ownership of  our problems, and come up with a substantive approach to address them, according to Rastriya Dalit Network ( RDN) central Chair Ganesh Bishwokarma.  

As said by RDN executive director Hukum Sarki, around 10,000 people from the Harawa-Charawa community will be joining the gathering in Janakpur. As per the schedule, the journey will start from Rajbiraj of Saptari and Birgunj of Parsa and conclude in Janakpur. Discussions with the local representatives will be held on the way to Janaknpur, it has been said.  

A mass meeting is scheduled to take place in Janakpur on April 11.   

According to rights activists, the Harawa-Charawa population in Madeshh is around 60,000. The Harawa-Charawa 2019 study based in Dhanshua showed around 90 percent of them were forced to live as bonded laborers for taking loans for medical treatment for themselves or their families, and over 72 percent were prevented from seeking work opportunities outside. 

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