wfn.org | Political Instability Puts Pressure on LWF/DWS Nepal Program

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Political Instability Puts Pressure on LWF/DWS Nepal Program
Increased Tension between Government and Maoists 

ALBURY, Australia/GENEVA, 21 May 2004 (LWI) * The Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) representative in Nepal says Maoist insurgency is hampering some of the
activities of the LWF Department for World Service (DWS) especially in the
far west of the country.

Mr Marceline Rozario, director of the LWF/DWS program in Nepal, said the
country has had problems for some time but the situation has recently
deteriorated. "The tension between the government of Nepal and the Maoists is
increasing and the fighting continues." More than 10,000 people have been
killed since the conflict started, and about 20 percent of the activities of
DWS Nepal have been seriously affected by the unrest, he told participants in
the DWS Asia region consultation near Albury, New South Wales.

The adverse effects of the political instability in Nepal are manifested in
increased militarization, destruction of physical assets, non-functioning
governmental bodies at village and district level, and decreased spending on
development activities. "Some donors have stopped contributing to development
operations in the worst-affected areas," Rozario said. A disturbing
development was the April 27 attempted bombing of the DWS regional office in
far west Nepal. This was the first time insurgents had directly targeted a
DWS office in the country. (See LWI 2004-047 - LWF Regional Office in Nepal
Damaged in Bomb Explosion.)

Mr Krishna Rawal, program coordinator for the DWS Nepal western region
described the main objective of the Nepalese government as poverty reduction,
through good governance and broad-based economic growth. But, in spite of the
establishment and implementation of targeted social restructuring programs,
improvements in rural infrastructure and other development activities, the
number of people living in poverty increased from 5.3 million in 1976 to 8.2
million in 1996. Nepal's population is estimated at over 26 million people.

At the same time multilateral donors are concerned about the deepening
conflict in the country and deteriorating democratic process. Rawal noted
that in return for monetary assistance, "donors want to see the
decentralization process expedited, service delivery improved, the
government's own expenditure capacity increased, and human rights violations
addressed." 

DWS/Nepal Advocates for Dalits and Freed Bonded Laborers

Rozario reported that a major element of the program's activities is advocacy
on behalf of disadvantaged groups, particularly the Dalits (untouchables) and
freed Kamaiyas (bonded laborers). DWS Nepal works with nine networks that are
speaking out against discrimination of Dalits, Kamaiyas and other
disadvantaged groups.

At the consultation, the plight of the Nepalese Dalits was explained in the
film, "I'm Dalit," produced by DWS Nepal. "I used to sit at the front of the
class, but the other pupils said they were getting polluted (by me)," said a
primary-school Dalit girl. "Then the teacher made me sit at the back. By the
time I got to year six, I couldn't stand it anymore. So I dropped out. I
wanted to be a doctor or a nurse. Now all my dreams are broken."

The caste system has been abolished in Nepal, and some major government
initiatives for Dalits' protection are encouraging signs for change. But many
people are not aware of these changes. "We are trying to heal the scars in
the society," Rozario said. "Through the efforts of LWF in Nepal there have
been some changes in the constitution. There are some good laws, but people
do not know what they are."

The challenge now is to educate the general community and persuade people to
change behavior based on thousands of years of tradition. With other
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), DWS Nepal has produced a film that
discourages discrimination against Dalits, which is screened on national
television. Concurrently field workers in communities educate both Dalits and
non-Dalits about the caste system elimination under Nepalese law. "This
system has to go," Rozario said.

Rawal described Kamaiyas "like slaves," as they work for free or are paid
meager wages to clear outstanding loans. DWS Nepal is engaged in resettlement
programs for 5,500 freed Kamaiyas, and continues to lobby the government for
land allocation and school provision for this disadvantaged group. 

But much more remains to be done, with many disadvantaged people in Nepal out
of reach of NGO assistance. "Many of the Dalits and bonded laborers have
joined the Maoist movement. They could not take it any more," Rozario said.

No Solution in Sight for Bhutanese Refugees

DWS Nepal continues to provide relief and rehabilitation for the 103,000
Bhutanese refugees living in exile in southeast Nepal. After 13 years in the
camps, there is still no indication of repatriation for the refugees in the
near future. Negotiations between the Bhutanese and Nepalese governments
broke down in December 2003 after an attack on Bhutanese officials at the
Khudunabari refugee camp.

The main activities of DWS Nepal with respect to the refugee situation
include care and maintenance of water and sanitation services, construction
and reconstruction of infrastructure, and the provision of community
services, as well as children's programs and recreation. (827 words)

(Written for LWI by Linda Macqueen, editor of The Lutheran, the Lutheran
Church of Australia magazine.) 

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 136 member
churches in 76 countries representing 62.3 million of the almost 66 million
Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas
of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless
specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or
opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.]

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