Women of Nepal

Shanta Chaudhari

Member of the Constituent Assembly (CPN-UML)

Born in 1980 in Dang district

All women in the Constituent Assembly (CA) have encountered oppression, harassment or discrimination in one form or another. Each of these women members have many stories to tell. Among them is Shanta Chaudhari, whose heart-wrenching story is what eventually led to her success.

After living a life of slavery for two decades, Chaudhari now stands as a member of the CA, sharing her experience and knowledge to help draft a new constitution for Nepal.

She was born to a poor family in 1980 in Dandagaon of Laxmipur Village Development Committee in Dang district. She was working for a local landlord when she reached the age of eight and was due to be enrolled in school. It almost seems fate freed her from slavery for the sole purpose of becoming a CA member in the future. Chaudhari is now a member of the Natural Resources, Financial Rights and Revenue Distribution Committee and also chairperson of the Natural Resources Committee.

She was a Kamlari until 2006. Kamlari is a form of slavery for girls, working in the house of a landlord as interest for money the girl's father had borrowed.

Chaudhari lived the Kamlari life for 18 years and as such can unfortunately bring the miserable reality of such an existence to life for those unaware of what these people endure. Existing under conditions worse than animals, those living the Kamlari life were generally forbidden to attend school, undertaking physical labor too intense for their bodies to withstand, and depending on their master's leftover food for sustenance. These workers would rise as early as three o'clock to begin the day's domestic chores, such as fodder-collection, and washing dresses and dishes, often until midnight. Chaudhari holds many bitter memories of her own experiences. "Once my master stabbed a piece of terracotta on my head when the pot I was bringing water in to his house was broken."

A Kamlari earns around Rs 500 to 700 and a set of dress a year, but, in reality, receives almost nothing as her master deducts money for lost dresses and damaged pots from the already meager salary.

Chaudhari was one of the fortunate few not to be sexually exploited but realizes many  other girls had endured such atrocities. She believes there is little more miserable than living the life of a Kamlari.

It has been the same story for generations. Her father spent his entire life as a Kamaiya (the male equivalent), and her mother a Kamlari. Moreover, her five sisters, Soni, Surjya, Juglya, Raji and Subya, were life-long Kamlaris, and a brother, Ram Prasad, was a Kamaiya. Her sisters began working as Kamlari at the tender age of four or five years.

After Kamlaris were liberated, Chaudhari's family no longer had to live with their masters. Yet they still had to plough their master's land to earn a living. In such, the life of struggle has not ended. At present, her family has a small house where her two sisters live, however her other family members are still dependent on their master's mercy. Even her sister's daughters were Kamlaris, but have recently been liberated.

Chaudhari was briefly sent to school, but her master did not want her to study so she was given the responsibility to act as caretaker for the mistress' child who was a teacher in the local school. Her salary was deducted in the name of going to school despite the fact she was actually working there as a babysitter. It was only later, after completing her domestic chores she went to adult literacy night classes.

Chaudhari formally won membership of CPN-UML in 2005. She remained affiliated with the party as an underground activist as Kamlaris were forbidden to participate in political activities. She had the opportunity to discuss topics such as inequality, oppression, and torture with her friends in the adult classes or when she went to the jungle for fodder collection. These secret meetings brought a sense of solidarity among the oppressed women and opened up a new horizon of possibilities for a better future.

Chaudhari was rebellious since childhood. A desire to work for social equality and fight against tyranny lead to her gradual movement towards politics. Chaudhari's first role involved the land rights movement. She was affiliated with Rashtriya Bhumi Adhikar Manch in 2003, becoming president of Dang chapter of the Manch in 2005.

The fight against the Kamlari system was not easy. She will never forget an incident in which her campaign for Kamlari liberation was misunderstood by the parents of Kamlaris themselves. Some came in search of Chaudhari in an ultimate bid to behead her as locals were afraid her agitation would worsen the girls' condition further.

Today, many rich people in the Terai still have Kamlaris in their homes. Although they still play the same role, these poor girls have been renamed as 'helpers' or 'house attendants'. Around 14,000 Kamlaris also exist in Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur, according to different non-government organizations. The Supreme Court has issued the verdict that keeping Kamlaris is illegal, yet the government shows little interest in eradicating this form of slavery. Dang, fortunately, has now been declared a Kamlari-free district.

No changes have taken place in Chaudhari's lifestyle, even as a CA member.  She has been given a car to help fulfill her role as chairperson of the Natural Resources committee but still lives in a small and ordinary rented flat at Baneshwor, close to the CA building.

Chaudhari has a 10-year-old son and a daughter aged seven. Her husband still works on another person's farm in her village and she has brought her son and daughter to live with her in the capital. It has only been two years that she has been able to afford to buy her children new clothes.

Chaudhari wishes to help all Kamlaris become as able as herself. Those who have been freed have many expectations of her, but although it is slowly being phased out she realizes total eradication of the century-old Kamlari system will take time. "The Kamlari girls will not have to tolerate slavery for many days if coordination is built up among the anti-Kamlari movement, cooperation between organizations working on Kamlari is achieved, and the state listens to the public voice. And it will not be difficult for them to enter Singha Durbar, meet the president, prime minister, or any other leader," she said.

There is a common platform for Kamlaris, chaired by Urmila Chaudhari. The fact that Dang has been declared a Kamlari-free district is the result of the movement against holding girl children as Kamlari. "I will keep working for the Kamlari girls and their welfare throughout my life," she said.

The government's policy and program has included Kamlari as a burning issue to be resolved. The 2009/10 fiscal year's budget states that the government would provide free education in residential schools or technical training for these people. It has also stated that the state is concerned with lifting the standard of living for landless people, Haruwa-Charuwa, Badi and other poor communities.

Written by Laxmi Basnet