| ashu |
Posted
on 08-Feb-01 10:40 AM
What follows is a letter that was signed and submitted
to the PM Girija this afternoon.
The Kamaiya Andolan Parichalan Samiti, headed by
Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary, is committed to put
every kind of pressure -- local, national and
international -- on the government to
get what it wants for the Kamaiyas.
oohi
ashu
**********************************
February 7, 2001
The Honorable Girija Prasad Koirala,
Prime Minister
Singha Durbar, Kathmandu
Nepal
Dear Prime Minister,
Last July, your Government took the bold step of declaring bonded labour outlawed in Nepal, and we hope very much that the new legislation which is about to go through Parliament will mark the beginning of the end of bonded labour in Nepal. We had also been encouraged by your Government’s acceptance that resettlement of ex-Kamaiya is a priority and had looked forward to the speedy resolution of the problem.
Unfortunately after decision to free Kamaiya was taken, the government seems to have put not much though and resources
into making the necessary provision for their humanitarian and resettlement needs. We have followed with mounting concern the plight of those who are now living under plastic and cardboard shelters in the five most affected districts of the Far West region.
In Banke there are 27 families in Dang 7 families, and in Bardiya 2,000 families. Very recently 2,200 landless Kamaiya families in Kailali and 1,000 landless Kamaiya families in Kanchanpur took matters into their own hands and occupied 10 katha
each of state and forest land.
The health and social welfare of these families are seriously at risk, and their situation is getting worse according as the weather and their nutritional and sanitation status deteriorates. Other Kamaiya families - which are due for release under the law notably in Bardiya and Banke - are likely to find themselves in a similar situation, once their landlords recognize that your Government is serious about ending this form of slavery.
Those of our organizations which are in a position to do so have provided as much emergency relief supplies as we can manage. Recently an urgent appeal for US$ 270,000 was circulated to meet critical shortages of blankets, clothing, food, medicines, tents and drinking water.
We expect your government and the international community to respond to this appeal as they would to any national humanitarian crisis.
However, we are also appealing to your Government to bring the crisis to an end as soon as possible through resolving the issue of land and resettlement. According to our calculations 10 katha of unirrigated land will provide enough rice and wheat for a family of 6 for slightly over 5 months including a small hut. The same amount of irrigated land will produce enough rice, mustard and wheat for food self-sufficiency for slightly less than 1 year. Our calculations show that at least 10 katha of land are required for any resettlement program to be successful.
Anything less is not viable for an extended family in subsistence agriculture. The main aim of any resettlementprogramme must be self-reliance; otherwise there is a likelihood of a
decline into further indebtedness and destitution.
Encouraged by your Government 's declaration of its intention to end the enslavement of Kamaiya United Nations agencies, bilateral donors and International Non-Government Organisations have pledged over US$ 10 million for the resettlement needs of Kamaiya families. Until land is made available these funds cannot be utilized and we believe that your Government must follow through its declared intentions by fulfilling its promises to make land available. We believe that justice must be seen to
be done for those Tharu who have been enslaved for generations on land which was previously inhabited by them.
We urge your Government to do everything in its power to ensure that 10 katha of land are made available within the next 2 months. As an initial step it should look into the possibilities of legalising the forest and state land recently occupied by Kamaiya in an effort to solve their own problems as quickly as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Directors of Organisations
SIGNED
1.Anti Slavery International, London
2.Save the Children -US
3.Action Aid, Nepal
4.MS-Nepal
5. CARE-Nepal
6. LWF-Nepal
7. VSO-Nepal
8. TDH-Nepal
9. Save the Children -Norway
10. Save the Children -UK
11. ADRA-Nepal
12. OXFAM Nepal
13. Helvetas
14. PLAN Internaional -Nepal
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