Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kathmandu (Agenzia Fides) – In view of the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery during the 15th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and Nepalese NGO the Jagaran Media Center, wish to highlight the situation of bonded labour that persists in Nepal to date. This modern form of slavery, known as the Haliya system, according to the National Haliya Liberation Federation (NHLF), currently affects an estimated 150,000 people in the country, especially in the western part of Nepal, more specifically in the districts of Dhangadi, Dadeldhura, Doti, Bajura, and Bajhang. The “Haliya,” which means "one who tills land," are enslaved within a system of bonded labour, and are forced by a landlord or “master” to execute various hard labour duties (usually agricultural) for many years, often for an entire lifetime. Haliyas fulfil a range of duties, including making tools (such as spades, knives, and sickles) out of iron, grazing animals, sewing clothes, etc. The laborers are not paid a wage for their extensive work; often they are only provided with a small amount of food.
Extreme poverty and debt in the western and far western regions of Nepal has relegated many members of the lower castes, known as Dalits, to Haliya status. the laborers are held because of debts accumulated by their ancestors over many generations. Oftentimes, the entire family is enslaved. Deprived of a source of monetary income, Haliyas are forced turn to their masters to borrow funds in the event of a personal or family emergency. As such, their debt continues to aggrandize and incur additional interest, condemning future generations of Haliyas to the same fate. Haliyas are entitled to no fresh food at all -- only leftover goods from the harvest. Haliyas have historically been subjected to a wide range of egregious human rights abuses, including severe beatings, forced starvation and water deprivation as punishment, and various forms of humiliating treatment. In addition, female Haliya labourers, as well as their children, are often sexually abused by their masters. Although the Nepalese government declared the official liberation of all Haliyas on September 6, 2008, and pardoned their debts owed to landowners, there has been very little follow-up or enforcement. A lack of proper legal mechanisms and of specifically designed rehabilitation policies has rendered the process far from effective. Two years after their formal liberation, most Haliyas are still working for their landlords, and only 450 Haliyas from the Dadeldhura district have been freed thus far. The Asian Legal Resource Centre and the Jagaran Media Center urge the Special Rapporteur to request a country visit to Nepal in order to document and report back to the Council concerning this practice. The Human Rights Council must take all necessary measures to ensure that the government of Nepal ensures the end of the Haliya system and takes all necessary steps to assist Haliyas back into society and punish those responsible for inflicting so much suffering. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 10/09/2010)
