The Kamaiya system, a system of bonded agricultural laborers, was abolished in 2000, and rehabilitation packages announced for many Kamaiyas. But the Kamalaris, female slaves, found no respite from their slavery. There have been no rehabilitation packages specifically targeted towards them, and many parents in Tharu communities in Western parts of Nepal continue to sell their daughters in return for money, or as a way of paying back loans. The girls, sometimes as young as six, are not only exploited for their labor, but in many cases also face physical, mental and sexual harassment from their employers. One such girl was Srijana Chaudhary, a twelve year old serving her time at a home in Lalitpur. When she was found dead with burn marks on her body, her mother decided to approach the government to investigate it. But this case was just the tipping point for the protests. Before this incident, six Kamlaris had died in mysterious circumstances, 27 disappeared, and 11 became pregnant against their wishes. More than seventy Kamlaris have been staging protests at Singha Durbar demanding effective investigation of these cases.
The protests have proved, once again, that connections are important. These Kamlari women with no one of consequence to connect to in the capital city are having a hard time getting noticed by the media and getting their stories heard by the government. Instead, they are being meted out violent treatment. An all male police force manhandled the protestors, some even stealing money from the women. The police claim that the violence was negligible, but injuries on Kamlaris’ bodies tell a different story. Urmila Chaudhary claims to have been throttled and kicked with boots in the stomach, and Sita Chaudhary has a broken hand to show for her efforts. At least four other Kamlaris have been gravely injured, and that is just in Kathmandu. At a similar protest in Dang, four more Kamlaris have been injured. After their injuries the Kamlaris are even more determined to see their campaign through.
They demand justice, they demand that no male police personnel be deployed to handle a crowd of all female protestors. They demand an investigation into the cases of deaths, disappearances, and pregnancies, and they demand an equivalent rehabilitation package as the Kamaiyas. Demands, we feel, are just and should be addressed promptly by the government. No one deserves a life of slavery, and especially not one of harassment, torture, and murder. The government has recently formed a committee under the joint secretary of Ministry of Children and Social Welfare, but the Kamlaris have decided to talk only to a ministerial level committee. To ensure that the state is approachable to people of all social strata, even those without any connections at high offices, the government must engage with the Kamlaris and do all it can to address their demands. In the short term, the cases of deaths, disappearances and pregnancies should be investigated and the guilty must be brought to book. In the long term, the government must work to address the root cause of Kamlari system: poverty, which forces parents of poor means to sell their daughters to the highest bidders. Rehabilitation packages, including opportunities for education and employment, must be provided to Kamlaris so that they and their future generations can escape from the vicious cycle of slavery.
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