Kamaiya
Encyclopedia
Kamaiya is a traditional system of bonded labour in southern Nepal
. The people affected are also called Kamaiya or Kamaiyas.
in the Terai
region in the 1950-60s, the large influx of hill migrants marginalized traditionally landowning Tharu people by occupying their lands. While the Tharus had no records of the land they were cultivating, the settlers registered the land in their name forcing the Tharus to work as agricultural labourers. The customary practice of obtaining a "helping hand for family business" was gradually replaced by the forced labour system called Kamaiya, which in Tharu parlance is tantamount to hardworking hired farm labour.
The Kamaiya system existed in particular in western Nepal and affects especially the Tharu people and Dalit
s.
In its modern form, girls and young women are sold by their parents into indentured servitude under contract for periods of one year with richer, higher-caste
buyers, generally from outside their villages. In 2006, the Supreme Court of Nepal affirmed that this practice known as Kamlari is illegal.
and Bardiya
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. The people affected are also called Kamaiya or Kamaiyas.
History
Various forms of forced labour and bondsman systems existed since the 17th century. Traditionally, people without land or work could get loans from landowners allowing them to sustain a minimum livelihood. In exchange to this, they had to live and work on the landowner's land as quasi slaves. Exorbitant debts were charged, and whole families were forced to slave labour for years and even generations, bonded by indebtedness to the landowner and bonded by unequal social relations to sell labour in lieu of the loan taken. Following the eradication of malariaMalaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
in the Terai
Terai
The Terai is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests located south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The Terai belongs to the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion...
region in the 1950-60s, the large influx of hill migrants marginalized traditionally landowning Tharu people by occupying their lands. While the Tharus had no records of the land they were cultivating, the settlers registered the land in their name forcing the Tharus to work as agricultural labourers. The customary practice of obtaining a "helping hand for family business" was gradually replaced by the forced labour system called Kamaiya, which in Tharu parlance is tantamount to hardworking hired farm labour.
The Kamaiya system existed in particular in western Nepal and affects especially the Tharu people and Dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
s.
In its modern form, girls and young women are sold by their parents into indentured servitude under contract for periods of one year with richer, higher-caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
buyers, generally from outside their villages. In 2006, the Supreme Court of Nepal affirmed that this practice known as Kamlari is illegal.
Abolition
Increasing protests against the Kamaiya system, organized by the "Kamaiya movement", led to its abolition in 2000. On 17 July that year, the Government of Nepal announced the Kamaiya system be banned, all Kamaiyas be freed and their debts be cancelled. Although most Kamaiya families were freed, the system has persisted. Many Kamaiyas were evicted by their former landlords and released into poverty without any support. Others received land that was unproductive. To alleviate the poverty of the affected people – the main cause of the system – rehabilitation and distribution of land were promised to ex-Kamaiya families. To put action behind the attempts to discuss the land issue with the government, the ex-Kamaiyas have started occupying land in KailaliKailali District
Kailali District of 616,697. Dhangadhi is a center of attraction of not only Kailali district but of the whole seti zone. The district also contains Tikapur Park, one of the biggest parks in Nepal, and Godha-Ghodi Tal lake.-Towns and villages:Baliya...
and Bardiya
Bardiya District
Bardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya District Kamaiya: Slavery and Freedom in Nepal. Mandala Book Point, in association with Danish Association for International Co-operation (MS Nepal), Kathmandu ISBN 9993310115, 9789993310112 Mandala Book Point: About the book
Anita Cheria (2005) Liberation is not enough: the kamaiya movement in Nepal. ActionAid Nepal, Kathmandu 2005 ISBN 9994680021, 9789994680023
Birendra Giri (2009) The Bonded Labour System in Nepal. Perspectives of Haliya and Kamaiya Child Workers. Journal of Asian and African Studies, December 2009, vol. 44, no. 6: 599-623. doi: 10.1177/0021909609343414 Abstract
External links
