End to Nepalese debt bondage (original) (raw)

Kamaiya: Slavery and Freedom in Nepal

::	New Kamaya Movement
While Yagya Raj Chaudhary together with a group of former Kamaiyas is currently launching delegation campaign in Kathmandu to put pressure on the government to provide land to ex-Kamaiyas, thousands of ex-Kamaiyas at the same time have occupied land in Kailali and Bardiya districts.

::	Update January 2002
Yesterday, the 9th of January, the Forest Office moved in and destroyed four more kamaiya settlements in Kailali district.

::	Update December 2001
With the government of Nepal declaring a state of emergency in response to the breakdown of peace talks with the maoists people have faced suspension of almost all their democratic rights, in effect putting an end to the ex-Kamaiyas' agitation,for the time being at least.

::	Update 24 November 2001
Police intervened in a protest demonstration staged by the freed Kamaiyas demanding 10 Katthas of land as part of their rehabilitation on Nov. 24 leaving as many as 15 freed Kamaiyas injured.

::	Update October 2001
This report documents the situation of the kamaiya bonded laborers based on a field visit conducted in September, 2001.

::	Book: Slavery and Freedom
Kamaiya: Slavery and Freedom is a social documentary, describing the turbulent story of the on-going kamaiya movement in Nepal

::	Update May 2001
This report documents the situation of the Kamaiya (bonded laborers) based on a recent field visit in Bardiya and Banke and information collected from other districts.

::	Update January 2001
At a time when thousands of liberated Kamaiyas languishing in several camps in the five districts of the western Nepal are getting more disappointed by the lackadaisical attitude of the government towards their proper rehabilitation

::	Pangs of Freedom
Two months after being declared `free,� kamaiya families are yet to adjust to the new realities. And, the government has done little to support them in their need of hour.

::	Update 28 October 2000
The landlords in Kanchanpur and Kailali have been showing their political strength in the past week.

::	Update 24 October 2000
With the government failing to speed up the rehabilitation programme even about three months after the July 17 announcement that freed the Kamaiyas, the "freed" Kamaiyas are once again in agitating mood.

::	Freed Kamaiya
Kohali Chaudhari, along with her 7-member family, was forcefully evicted by her landlord a week back.

::	Update 16 October 2000
Dashain, the greatest festival of Hindus in Nepal brought joys to many but for some others it did not matter much.

::	Update 26 September 2000
It is unfortunate that bonded labourers (Kamaiyas) who were liberated about three months ago from the exploitation of landlords should find themselves in so precarious a position.

::	Update 22 September 2000
A team of the representatives of the Local Development Ministry, World Food Programme and German Organization GTZ recently visited various freed Kamaiya camps in Kanchanpur district.

::	Update 19 September 2000
The freed Kamaiyas identification and rehabilitation central coordination and monitoring committee that met here on Sept. 18, 2000.

::	Update 12 September 2000
The government is planning to distribute land to homeless former kamaiyas(bonded laborers) and start a rehabilitation project for them beginning the winter season this year.

::	Update 11 September 2000
What has transpired from the present situation of the former Kamaiyas is that with the government announcing on July 17 the liberation of Kamaiyas from bondage the freedom has rendered them homeless, jobless and for that matter helpless.

::	Update 7 September 2000
Despite whatever relief plans have been made for the Kamaiyas in Kathmandu, their life seems to have improved little on the ground.

::	Free to Suffer
Freedom has come with a price for Kamaiyas and an indifferent government is only part of the problem.