21.05.2004
Political Instability Puts Pressure on LWF/DWS Nepal Program
Increased Tension between Government and MaoistsALBURY, Australia/GENEVA, 21 May 2004 (LWI) – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) representative in Nepal says Maoist insurgency is hampering some of the activities of the LWF Department for World Service (DWS) especially in the far west of the country.
Mr Marceline Rozario, director of the LWF/DWS program in Nepal, said the country has had problems for some time but the situation has recently deteriorated. “The tension between the government of Nepal and the Maoists is increasing and the fighting continues.” More than 10,000 people have been killed since the conflict started, and about 20 percent of the activities of DWS Nepal have been seriously affected by the unrest, he told participants in the DWS Asia region consultation near Albury, New South Wales.
The adverse effects of the political instability in Nepal are manifested in increased militarization, destruction of physical assets, non-functioning governmental bodies at village and district level, and decreased spending on development activities. “Some donors have stopped contributing to development operations in the worst-affected areas,” Rozario said. A disturbing development was the April 27 attempted bombing of the DWS regional office in far west Nepal. This was the first time insurgents had directly targeted a DWS office in the country. (See LWI 2004-047 - LWF Regional Office in Nepal Damaged in Bomb Explosion.)
Mr Krishna Rawal, program coordinator for the DWS Nepal western region described the main objective of the Nepalese government as poverty reduction, through good governance and broad-based economic growth. But, in spite of the establishment and implementation of targeted social restructuring programs, improvements in rural infrastructure and other development activities, the number of people living in poverty increased from 5.3 million in 1976 to 8.2 million in 1996. Nepal’s population is estimated at over 26 million people.
At the same time multilateral donors are concerned about the deepening conflict in the country and deteriorating democratic process. Rawal noted that in return for monetary assistance, “donors want to see the decentralization process expedited, service delivery improved, the government’s own expenditure capacity increased, and human rights violations addressed.”
DWS/Nepal Advocates for Dalits and Freed Bonded Laborers
Rozario reported that a major element of the program’s activities is advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged groups, particularly the Dalits (untouchables) and freed Kamaiyas (bonded laborers). DWS Nepal works with nine networks that are speaking out against discrimination of Dalits, Kamaiyas and other disadvantaged groups.
At the consultation, the plight of the Nepalese Dalits was explained in the film, “I’m Dalit,” produced by DWS Nepal. “I used to sit at the front of the class, but the other pupils said they were getting polluted (by me),” said a primary-school Dalit girl. “Then the teacher made me sit at the back. By the time I got to year six, I couldn’t stand it anymore. So I dropped out. I wanted to be a doctor or a nurse. Now all my dreams are broken.”
The caste system has been abolished in Nepal, and some major government initiatives for Dalits’ protection are encouraging signs for change. But many people are not aware of these changes. “We are trying to heal the scars in the society,” Rozario said. “Through the efforts of LWF in Nepal there have been some changes in the constitution. There are some good laws, but people do not know what they are.”
The challenge now is to educate the general community and persuade people to change behavior based on thousands of years of tradition. With other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), DWS Nepal has produced a film that discourages discrimination against Dalits, which is screened on national television. Concurrently field workers in communities educate both Dalits and non-Dalits about the caste system elimination under Nepalese law. “This system has to go,” Rozario said.
Rawal described Kamaiyas “like slaves,” as they work for free or are paid meager wages to clear outstanding loans. DWS Nepal is engaged in resettlement programs for 5,500 freed Kamaiyas, and continues to lobby the government for land allocation and school provision for this disadvantaged group.
But much more remains to be done, with many disadvantaged people in Nepal out of reach of NGO assistance. “Many of the Dalits and bonded laborers have joined the Maoist movement. They could not take it any more,” Rozario said.
No Solution in Sight for Bhutanese Refugees
DWS Nepal continues to provide relief and rehabilitation for the 103,000 Bhutanese refugees living in exile in southeast Nepal. After 13 years in the camps, there is still no indication of repatriation for the refugees in the near future. Negotiations between the Bhutanese and Nepalese governments broke down in December 2003 after an attack on Bhutanese officials at the Khudunabari refugee camp.
The main activities of DWS Nepal with respect to the refugee situation include care and maintenance of water and sanitation services, construction and reconstruction of infrastructure, and the provision of community services, as well as children’s programs and recreation. (827 words)
(Written for LWI by Linda Macqueen, editor of The Lutheran, the Lutheran Church of Australia magazine.)
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