Kamlahari Movement in Nepal: Expanding Opportunities, Uncertain Achievements

Apply

Kamlahari Movement in Nepal: Expanding Opportunities, Uncertain Achievements

Journal Title: Journal of Development Policy, Research & Practice (JoDPRP) - Year 2018, Vol 2, Issue 01

Abstract

This paper maps out a movement of Kamlahari girls in Nepal which is popularly known as ‘Kamlahari’ both in lingual and literal terms. This study analyses a semi-bonded child labour system among the girls of the Tharu ethnic community. Despite the long historical background of the Tharu movement, critics suggest that the freedom of Kamlahari in 2013 is largely neglected and has become a less prioritised agenda. Building on this critique, the paper aims to analyse different issues, challenges and opportunities of and from the Kamlahari movement, particularly in context of the western Tarai region of Nepal. Methodologically, the paper follows a set of qualitative methods, including narrative analysis of both primary and secondary sources. The central proposition of the paper is that there are some critical issues and contestations in the movement of Kamlahari girls, ranging from rescue and rehabilitation to educational support and livelihood sustenance. With the changing socioeconomic and constitutional provisions, Kamlaharies have had a number of opportunities for their mainstreaming, but there have been some uncertainties to benefit from them both at the level of policies and programmes. To emphasise this dilemma, the paper argues that ‘freedom of the Kamlahari girls’ is yet to be institutionalised at the grassroots level through a set of policy inputs and livelihood outcomes.

Authors and Affiliations

Mahendra Sapkota

Keywords

Gender Beliefs and Action Tendencies for Women’s Rights: Impact of National vis-à-vis International Policy Recommendations

In most democratic developing countries, including Pakistan, a crucial and still least prioritised domain is reforms in the status of women’s rights. As reflected in the rankings provided by The Gender Gap Index Report (...

Growth and Inequality in Pakistan: Agenda for Reforms by Dr Hafiz A. Pasha Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Pakistan, 2019, 550pp.

This book is a promising addition to economic literature which explains the sluggish growth pattern of Pakistan and the various forms of inequalities in society. The book defines the country’s growth and inequality patte...

EP ID EP715590
DOI -
Views 80
Downloads 0