Voice of Backward ~ Voice of Madhesh

Overview

Madheshi Dalits have been suffered from several social, economic and political oppressions and discriminations. Caste based discrimination originated from Varna System is one of the major institution extremely prevalent in the Madheshi society construct. Caste system infringing with economic disparity has led to the structural inequality in Madheshi Dalits and non-Dalits. In line with this context this research report is based on a survey study and in-depth interview conducted in Siraha district, a highly Dalits populated and origin point of Chamar (Carcass Removal) and Madhesh Movement from the Eastern Tarai region of Nepal. The study reveals that 39 percent Madheshi Dalits are landless and 48 percent of them have found marginal land possession below 1 Katta in totality. The research also reveals that more than 39 percent Madheshi Dalits are continuing Haruwa-Charuwa system, a semi-slavery bonded labor. Due to such kind of feudalistic and customary labour system, Madheshi Dalits are compelled to face the labour exploitation, wage labour discriminations, market discriminations along with various social discriminations.

This research argues that the situation of exploitations and discrimination are regulated by various local age long feudal social institutions like Haruwa, Charuwa, Kodarwa system, Land Mortgage System, Share cropping, etc. which exhibit more negative relationship. It is also because of structural constraints in land holding pattern (class), existing caste system, and gender disparity. Mostly, these institutions have been found as discriminatory and exploitative to the land poor by giving them unfair wage, debt burden, and treating them inhumanly like semi-slavery and social discrimination.

The research also clarifies that the Madheshi Dalits are still living as second class citizens within own country and facing multi-dimensional exploitations such as semi-slavery Haruwa-Charuwa system a bonded labor, caste based discrimination along with the discrimination in education, health, employment etc. The children of them are compelled to follow the forceful labour in the landlord’s house at the age of going to school. Overcoming all the above-mentioned barriers, some of the Madheshi Dalits are struggling to get rid of all these problems and searching for the new way of emancipation.

Research Questions

The research on “Structural Inequality between Madheshi Dalits and Non-Dalits”, by Ranjit Kumar Kanaujiya which was submitted to Social Inclusion Research Fund (SIRF)/SNV-Nepal carried out with an aim to answer the broader questions related to structural inequality between Madhesi Dalits and non-Dalits. The research will explore the answer of this broad question by taking the following research questions:

Why and how Madhesi Dalits are relatively excluded from the access to the valued goods and services in society?
How so called upper caste of Madhesi monopolize in the Madhesi society in term of economic activities?
How the economic condition, low wages, labor market and any forms of bounded labor in Madhesi Dalits contribute to social exclusion/inclusion?

To get all these answers, see the this final research documentation prepared by Ranjit Kumar Kanaujiya PDF DOCUMENT

Protection required for Dalits and Women

Various studies have shown that among the women who become victims of violence, the number of Dalit women exceed the number of others. The nongovernment organisation named Saathi
has made it public that the Dalit women are victims of torture and physical and mental violence including rape. According to the study of this organization, among the victims of rape, the possibility of Dalits is 21 percent where as that of Brahmin Chhetri women is just 6 percent.
Similarly, the study conducted by New Era, the percentage of Dalit women sold in India is 26.9 percent where as that of indigenous women is 42.2 percent. Leader of the Dalit community Min Biswokarma is of the opinion that poverty and illiteracy are major reasons responsible for the increasing violence against Dalit women. False temptation of employment and fake marriages are also responsible for their maltreatment.

Issues of Dalit women in the new constitution:

1. Central government must have the right to provide instruction to the state and provincial government to make policies and programmes regarding the Dalits and to implement them. All the concerned sectors must take special initiative to put this matter in the new constitution.

2. To make provision of proportionate representation for ensuring political participation in provincial and local bodies in a federal state.

3. The constitution must make the provision of ending bad cultural practices such as untouchability, Balighare, Haliya, Chhaupadi, prostitution.

4. To make the provision of distribution Lal Purja (land ownership certificate) to both male and female for guaranteeing land ownership.

5. For ensuring employment, education and health under the fundamental rights, a quota system must be applied for a certain period of time. In the quota allocated for women and Dalits, 20 and 50 percent must be allocated for the Dalit women respectively.

6. In order to do monitoring whether the Dalits have exercised their rights as per the constitution and in order to get it done, the provision of high level mechanism must be made in the constitution.

7. Gender equality must be considered while forming new government structure and new laws must be made friendly to women.

8. Provision must be made in the constitution not to make laws on the basis of tradition and religion by provincial governments that discriminate women.

9. Provision must be made to fully prohibit violence resulting from untouchability by making necessary laws for punishment and compensation.

10. The provincial government should ensure 50 percent participation of women in all its bodies on the basis of proportionate representation. It also must ensure the representation of Dalit women on the basis of population.

11. The policy of the state to evaluate the national and cultural norms and practices and to devise new ones on scientific basis must be made in the new constitution for eliminating caste discrimination completely.

12. Among the complicated problems faced by the Dalit women, one is the problem of inter-caste marriage. As the inter-caste marriage plays an important role in the creation of the society free from discrimination, the state must make laws and programmes to encourage inter-caste marriage to provide both male and female the opportunity to choose one's spouse freely.

13. Technical education and professional skill is required for the Dalit women in order to make natural means and resources accessible to them. Therefore, the policy to increase their enrolment in technical schools at the maximum level must be made.

14. The number of health workers among Dalit women must be increased with a view to increasing their participation in the field of health. For, this, the state must make special plans and programmes.

15. The state must identify the problems of Badi and the Dalit women of Terai and make necessary provision for their honorable living.

POPULATION & INCOME

Dalit population represents 11.8% of the total population of Nepal, of which Madheshi Dalit make up 36.7%. In addition to being at the bottom of caste, class, and gender hierarchies, they lag far behind on almost all development indicators. The average per capita income for Dalits is NRs 10.000, poverty rate 45.5 % and human development index - for Madheshi Dalits specifically- 0.383 as the lowest in Nepal, against the national averages of NRs 15.000, 31% and 0.509 respectively. They own only 1% of arable land and 44% of them are landless. Members of the Madheshi Dalit community in Dhanusa noted that even those who own land only possess enough to build a thatch hut or less.

BACKGROUND

Cultural and social inequalities are often used as motivational factors to mobilize political and social movements in Nepal and the decade long armed conflict “capitalized on caste and gender discrimination in Nepal as a means of legitimizing the armed revolution”. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2006, in sections 3.5 and 7.6.1, explicitly calls for an end to discrimination and abuse against women, and to eliminate all types of violence against women and children, including child labour as well as sexual exploitation.

More than five years after its signing, many traditionally marginalized groups remain de facto voiceless with few visible signs of improvement in their status, and Madheshi Dalit women are a prominent example of this. Vulnerably positioned at the bottom of Nepal’s caste, class and gender hierarchies, Madheshi Dalit women experience widespread and deeply-rooted gender as well as caste discrimination and violence as a result of profoundly imbalanced social, economic and political power equations. This field bulletin sets out to document some of the factors triggering discrimination and high exposure of violence amongst Madheshi Dalit women in Dhanusa and Mahottari districts, and the abuse that is allowed to perpetuate through a culture of silence.

PICTURE TELL THE STORY