Kamaiya
Kamaiya refers to a traditional system of debt bondage in Nepal ; those affected by this system are also called Kamaiya or Kamaiyas.
history
Various forms of forced labor have existed in Nepal since the 17th century. Traditionally, people without land or work could get loans from landowners that enabled them to earn a living. In return, they practically had to live and work as serfs on the landowner's land. Since the landowners usurious interest demanded, whole families over years and generations were swept forced to work. They were obliged to the landowners by the burden of debt and, because of their social position, had no choice but to pay off the debt with their labor. Following the eradication of malaria in the Terai region in the 1950s–60s, there was a massive influx of settlers who sidelined the Tharu ethnic group, who had lived there for centuries . They claimed land and registered it under their name, which traditionally belonged to the Tharus. The Tharus had no evidence of ownership rights to the land they worked and were forced to make a living as farm laborers . The custom under Tharus of getting helpers to work in the fields has gradually been replaced by the system of forced labor Kamaiya , which in Tharu jargon means as much as hard-working hired farm workers . The Kamaiya system particularly affected members of the Tharu ethnic group in western Nepal and Dalit ("untouchables") throughout the country.
Kamalari
Kamalari or Kamlari (in German hard-working woman ) describes a modern form of this system. Kamalaris are typically young women from the people of Tharu , which in childhood are sold by economic necessity from their families and work in the home by a rich family under lawless conditions.
abolition
After increasing protests, the Nepalese government declared the Kamaiya system abolished on July 17, 2000, all Kamaiya free and their debts annulled. The abolition was confirmed in February 2002 by the Kamaiya Labor (Prohibition) Act . About 18,400 families (70,000 to 100,000 people) were identified as Kamaiya and liberated.
In order to combat the poverty of those affected - the main cause of the system - the liberated Kamaiya were offered rehabilitation and, in particular, land to secure their livelihoods. While the liberation of the Kamaiya from debt bondage has largely been implemented, the implementation of these support measures is making slow progress. Many Kamaiya have been put into poverty by their landowners without receiving any support. Others were allocated land, but it turned out to be of no agricultural use.
In 2013, the practice of the Kamalari system was also officially banned in Nepal.
Human rights organizations such as Anti-Slavery International also believe that thousands still remain in Kamaiya bondage.
Individual evidence
- ^ World Organization Against Torture: The Kamaiya System of Bonded Labor in Nepal. 2006. (pdf)
- ^ Nepal youth foundation: "Background brief: The history of Kamlari in Nepal". Retrieved June 18, 2015 .
literature
- Peter Lowe, Vinaya Kasajoo: Kamaiya: Slavery and Freedom in Nepal. Mandala Book Point, in association with Danish Association for International Co-operation (MS Nepal), Kathmandu 2001, ISBN 99933-1-011-5 . ( Mandala Book Point: About the book )
Movie
The German documentary Urmila - für die Freiheit from 2016 is about the fight of the human rights activist Urmila Chaudhary against the Kamalari system.