Despite the country's multiculturalism, minority groups in Nepal — known as Dalits or untouchables — are often subjected to various forms of discrimination, which ranges from hate speech and abuse to rape and murder. A lot of human rights activists are dealing with this problem every day. Children in Shikharpur, Nepal. In 1950, after India gained its independence, the Constitution of India was introduced. The first caste is the Brahmins, which are teachers and priests, people that deal with knowledge and information. 15,630, Dalit Rs. 652. An inter-caste love relationship was deemed to be the major reason for their tragic deaths. I beg the media to not set this aside and move to the next news cycle. We translate Global Voices stories to make the world's citizen media available to everyone. Subscribe to comments on this post via email, This site is licensed as Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. groups as Dalits in Nepal, and ii) As the list of Dalit fluctuates, so is the size of population of Dalits, ranging 2 million to 4.5 million in various sources. Full list of family names of hilly, Himalayas, terai, madhesh regions. 5 Human Rights Watch communications with Dalit activists, January 2004. Nawaraj, a 21-year-old from Jajarkot who loved playing sports and wanted to join the police force, was born into a Dalit family. It refers to different social classes in old Hindu texts that divide the society into four castes (varnas). The Kshatriyas are a caste that gathers warriors, rulers, and different officials. New Delhi, May 5: Kanaklata had been fighting to keep her Dalit identity in the dark since moving to the capital eight years ago. Dalits are also discriminated against through healthcare; they are avoided by doctors and are often banned from entering shops with rations. Two incidents of caste-based discrimination, which led to the murder of seven people, have rocked Nepal, leading to a new wave of street protests, and highlighted the Himalayan nation’s deeply entrenched social inequalities. Badi (बादी) 5. In certain parts, it was dealing with suggestions and measures on how to improve the position of Dalits in society. A huge number of Dalit families live in extreme poverty and are discriminated even in the school system and the health services. Caste discrimination in Nepal is costing Dalits their lives, even nine years after the enactment of the Caste-Based Discrimination and Untouchability (Crime and Punishment) Act of Nepal, 2011. The social structure of caste-origin Hill Hindu or Khas groups is simple, reflecting only three groups in hierarchy, with the distinct absence of the Vaishya and Shudra varnas. Discrimination against Dalits remains prevalent and enduring. Submitted addresses will be confirmed by email, and used only to keep you up to date about Global Voices and our mission. The word varna can mean class, order, or type. It refers to different social classes in old Hindu texts that divide the society into four castes (varnas). Dalits remain one of the most underprivileged groups in Nepal, prompting the successful social entrepreneur and human rights activist Bishnu Maya Pariyar, who came from a low-caste family, to return to Nepal and produce a documentary, “Untouchable”, on the discrimination that she faced growing up: The caste system is categorised in a hierarchical arrangement, with Brahmins (priests) at the top, followed by Kshatriya (warriors and princes), Vaishya (farmers and artisans), and Shudra (shoemakers, tailors, metal workers, and servants). However, it is an enormous problem that can be compared to apartheid. Kunni Kharka, a small village in Bethanchok Rural Municipality, located about 55 km south-east from Kathmandu in Nepal, is home to 14 Dalit families, who have been living there for decades. They are considered contaminated from the day they were born and are faced with significant discrimination. They have continuously been held back by the rest of society and are not considered to be a part of the Hindu caste system. Entrepreneur Shiwani Neupane challenged the media not to shun their responsibility: I hope the Nepali media will continue to follow on the story of lynching of innocent Dalit boys in Nepal till justice is served. He fell in love with Sushma Malla, an upper-caste, 17-year-old girl. They are landless and much poorer than the dominant caste population. The Varna system describes the caste system in Hinduism. Image via Flickr user Linus Mak. These women not only have to face discrimination by people outside the Dalit community, but also are often confronted with Dalit men, who are relatively empowered by systemic … Most cases of caste-based discrimination are swept under the carpet, the police often fail to investigate reports of violence against Dalits, and perpetrators often go unreported or unpunished. Some great thinkers, who speculate that removing the word ‘Dalit’ from the constitution will eliminate discrimination itself, argue that removing the word ‘poverty’ from the vocabulary will also remove poverty and bring prosperity. Pariyar (Damai, Dargee, Suchikar, Nagarchee, Dholee, Hudke) 3. It also removed the privileges to Dalit people converted to other religions. Progress has be… A fifth element varna categorises those deemed to be entirely outside its scope, including tribal people and untouchables such as Dalits. Their life expectancy is lower than the national average, and so is their literacy rate. Despite laws to the contrary, caste-based discrimination is a festering sore in Nepalese society, as Dalits face continuous social prejudice and violence. The census is conducted every 10 years in Nepal; the government is currently preparing for new census data collection. Sushma's family wanted to marry her off with someone from her own caste, so she reportedly asked Nawaraj to rescue her before they did. The National Dalit Commission of Nepal (NDC-Nepal) has identified about 26 castes of which 7 are Hill Dalits (of which two belonged to the Newar community) and the remaining 19 Madhesi Dalits . Dalits have been believed to be impure by the higher castes. Various human rights organisations and Dalit leaders have been pressuring the government to take immediate action on the case and provide justice to the victims’ families: Although protests and discussions are ongoing in different parts of the country, many fear that this case will soon be forgotten, like so many others in the past. Dalits in Nepal Caste System and Dalits. Please consider making a donation to help us continue this work. This opens in a new window. Almost half of Nepal’s Dalits live below the poverty line. Upon their arrival, they were chased, stoned and beaten. Caste distinctions among Indian Christians are breaking down at about the same rate as those among Indians belonging to other religions. On May 23, 2020, one day after a 12-year-old Dalit girl from the western Rupandehi district was forced to marry her upper-caste rapist, she was found hanging from a tree. One Twitter user explained: रुकुमको घटना एउटा जघन्य अपराध हो।नवराज बिक संगै गएका भागेर ज्यान बचाएका २ साथीहरुको बयान सुन्दा आङ जिरिङ्ग हुन्छ।उनका साथीहरूको कुरा सुनिसकेपछि,दलित भएकै कारण नवराजको ज्यान लिइएको बुझ्न कठिन हुने छैन।तर्क/कुतर्कले नबराज र साथीहरूको जीवन अब फिर्ता हुने छैन।https://t.co/gtxd78MgDx, — Rabi Lamich2ane (@hamrorabi) May 26, 2020. The majority of Dalit families live below the poverty line. There exists evidence to show that Christian individuals have mobility within their respective castes. Newsletter powered by Mailchimp (Privacy Policy and Terms). See our Privacy Policy for details. Nawaraj was badly beaten up by the crowd. The Dalits do not fall in any of them, so they are called avarna. Dalit in Nepal. Khanal > Bahun > Kaushik (Purbiya) Chhetri is the largest caste/ethnic groups having 16.6% (4,398,053) of the total population followed by Brahman-Hill (12.2% ; 3,226,903).”. The global definition of the caste system surrounds a classification of several hereditary groups of hierarchical social class. Their social status defines people, and the upper castes can openly discriminate against the lower ones. In many cases people get confused in Caste and Gotra. After coming home, he quarantined himself in … The mother tongue of these groups is Nepali. After the incident, police arrested Dambar Bahadur Malla, Sushma's father and ward chair of the local municipality, along with fifteen others in connection with the incident. Mijar (Sarki, Charmakar, Bhool) 4. The Census Report of 2011 accounts for 1.8 million Dalit women in the country. Discrimination based on caste, as perceived by UNICEF, is prevalent mainly in parts of Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Japan) and Africa. Once her family learned about their relationship, Nawaraj and his family received frequent warnings to keep away from her, and on one occasion, he was reported to the police. Dalits, formerly known as untouchables - are at the bottom of the ancient caste hierarchy linked to the Hindu faith and form more than 13% of Nepal’s population. It contains a number of documents (“Collection”) on the situation of the Dalits of Nepal, exploring the discrimination and oppression they suffer in their daily lives, in almost all spheres of life, in both state and society. Most recently, on May 24, two Dalit boys, Nawaraj Bishwakarama (BK) and Tika Ram Sunar, were found dead on the banks of the Bheri river in the Jajarkot district of Southern Nepal. Please. However, the discrimination is mostly felt by those outside the system, below the castes, such as the Dalits. The Dalits of Nepal and a New Constitution 1 I This publication The origin of this document is explained in the Preface. Caste-based discrimination and untouchability are also in practices within Dalit community that is intra-Dalit discrimination. Rathaur > Newar-Kshatriya > Shrestha/Sheshya Khadka/Khadga > Khas-Chhetri 709. Dalits in Nepal stand at the intersection of socioeconomic and political oppression and have long been deprived of basic human rights due to wide-ranging discriminatory practices. 3 Padmalal Bishwakarma, “Caste Discrimination and Untouchability Against Dalits in Nepal,” paper prepared by the Society for the Liberation of Oppressed Dalit Castes, Nepal, for the Global Conference on Caste Discrimination, New Delhi, March 1-4, 2001. After listening to his friends, it will not be difficult to understand that Nawaraj was killed because he was a Dalit. Though such incidents — which range from social exclusion to murder — are still prevalent nationwide, they are usually felt most strongly in conservative regions like Western Nepal, although the cities exhibit the underlying prejudice in subtler ways. By Antonia Čirjak on February 10 2020 in Society. संविधानबाट ‘दलित’ शब्द हटाए विभेद अाफै हट्छ भनेर कुतर्क गर्ने केही महान विचारकहरूले ‘गरिबी’ शब्द शब्दकाेशबाट हटाए विपन्नता पनि हट्छ र समृद्धि अाउँछ भनेर तर्क गरे अनाैठाे नमाने हुन्छ। #Nepal #Dalit. In 2001 the CBS recorded only nine g… However, the constitution has banned the practice of untouchability. The Varna system describes the caste system in Hinduism. That belief is partly tied to the type of work Dalits did during history, which was tied to cleaning and possibly even dealing with feces. Finally, we have the Shudras, which are laborers that provide various services. Communities that were classified as Dalits, or Scheduled Castes officially, also got a certain number of seats in government and educational positions. Kuwait's stateless Bidoon population angered by another death, Internet artist behind satirical Australia war crimes image hailed as a hero on Chinese social media. Three other bodies of Ganesh Budha, Sandip BK and Lokendra Sunar were found later and another youngster, Govinda Shahi is still missing. Whilst all Dalit castes have suffered various forms of caste-based discrimination, the problems associated with these communities are not the same. The caste system in Hinduism is very clearly designed to divide society, forming social stratification. Five days later, his body was found hanging. Meanwhile, the struggle of Dalit Christians and Muslims seeking the rights of social welfare benefits from government continues. How will the war in Nagorno-Karabakh change Azerbaijan? Every year in Nepal, many cases of inter-caste marriage are reported. Thus making is a complex system that can combine many elements from birth right, ethnicity, occupation, power and financial acumen. Five bodies have been recovered so far, one still missing, and other members of the group were handed over to the police and were released later. See here the total Nepali Thar haru. Much of the previously animist/tribal Khas population of the western Nepal region acquired the 'Chhetri' status in the 1850s with the proclamation by the Rana Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana, making Chhetris the most populous caste/tribe of Nepal. A thesis submitted to the Department of community Development in the School People that do belong within the casts are called savarna. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2020 worldatlas.com, The 10 OECD Countries With The Highest Salaries, Types Of Crimes By Number Of Offenses In The US. Another thing worth mentioning is that discrimination against Dalits has been slightly lower in urban areas, but is still very much prevalent in more rural areas. Preliminary police investigations suggest that she had been raped and murdered. To stay independent, free, and sustainable, our community needs the help of friends and readers like you. However, since adopting the term Dalit, and it becoming more popular, they have become more aware of the situation. Finally, we have the … List of Nepali Surnames | Family Names in Nepal Get the famous, popular, surname of Nepal. Dalits as a movement is generally considered to have gained its start during the 19th century. A presidential order in 1950 reserved benefits only to Hindu Dalit considering caste system a Hindu practice. One of the measures was organizing special reservations where Dalits could live without being attacked. Global Voices stands out as one of the earliest and strongest examples of how media committed to building community and defending human rights can positively influence how people experience events happening beyond their own communities and national borders. — Shiwani Neupane (@ShiwaniNeupane) May 30, 2020. Dalits are called avarna because they do not belong to any of the casts. In an attempt to save themselves, some of them jumped into the nearby river and managed to escape, but Nawaraj and five of his friends didn’t survive the fall. The Dalits are a population of people living in India and certain regions of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Nepal. 4 Ibid. The lives of Nawaraj and his friends will not be returned by any logic/gossip. Specifically, Brahmin women experience less equality due to their predominately rural living conditions which deprives them of access to certain educational and healthcare benefits. It is then that the people outside the castes have begun to organize themselves and search for places where they would not be discriminated against. The legal recognition to caste and all the discriminatory laws made on the grounds of caste were ceased. The official term for Dalits in India is Scheduled Castes. Bishwokarma (Kami, Lohar, Sunar, Od, Chunanra, Parki, Tamata) 2. There is no space for impunity and that should be clear to everyone. By the time his family arrived on the scene, the police had already buried him, and — without any investigation — declared his death a suicide. The family, from the Dalit community, the lowest caste in India, claims the local police initially accused theThe caste paintings seem to reflect an attempt to create a taxonomy (or way to classify) different To answer your question, while caste paintings may have been intended to discourage inter-ethnicThis list is generated based on data provided by CrossRef. In 2016, for example, 18-year-old Ajit Mijar married his upper-caste girlfriend Kalpana Parajuli. The treatment of Dalits in Indian society is not something that is talked about much in global media. — Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Dalits, formerly known as untouchables - are at the bottom of the ancient caste hierarchy linked to the Hindu faith and form more than 13% of Nepal's population. People belonging to one of the castes are called savarna. The word varna can mean class, order, or type. Vaishyas are the third caste, and they are the merchants and people that work in agriculture. Because of this, they are often called the “Untouchables”. 1. The caste system is categorised in a hierarchical arrangement, with Brahmins (priests) at the top, followed by Kshatriya (warriors and princes), Vaishya (farmers and artisans), and Shudra (shoemakers, tailors, metal workers, and servants). Sign up to receive the best of Global Voices! Most higher caste people are in positions of leadership, while Dalits are held back economically, socially, culturally and politically. Gandharba (Gaine) गर्न्धर्व (गाइने) CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Caste aside, Shusma Barali. The history of caste Hindus is a narrative of self-success which has been steeped in the very marrow of caste Hindu culture. Interestingly, while Dalits in Nepal constitute only 13% of the population, 50% of the Dalit population is constituted by Dalit women. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was confined in a quarantine for 34 days where he was ostracised both for being infected, and for being a Dalit. They are often violently attacked due to their low social position. According to the Article 18 of Nepal's Constitution, caste-based discrimination is criminalised — but while the country announced itself as an untouchability-free nation in 2006, the Act only came into effect in 2011 and is not enforced. See all those languages up there? All his body parts, including his head, were seriously injured. Dalits are routinely denied access to religious sites, they face resistance to inter-caste marriages, refusal by non-Dalits to handle water touched by them and many other forms of discrimination. People from higher social classes consider them to be below the caste system. It’s been more than a decade since Nepal transformed from a Hindu monarchy to a federal republic, but Dalits, who are at the bottom of its stratified caste system, remain the poorest of the poor. Both cases related to marriages between a member of the lowest Dalits caste, and a person belonging to a higher caste. The first caste is the Brahmins, which are teachers and priests, people that deal with knowledge and information. He wasn't able to move and he was thrown into the river, he was not in a condition to even swim [so he] could survive. Satyal > Bahun > Kaudinya (Purbiya) 289. Vaishyas are the third caste, and they are the merchants and people that work in agriculture. They believed that the existence of Dalits causes pollution. The fight to end the deeply rooted discrimination started during the 19th century, when those who have been outside of the castes have begun to organize themselves. In some parts of Nepal, Dalits are still not allowed to use public taps, temples, or shops. It is heartbreaking to hear the statements of two friends who ran away with Nawaraj BK, who escaped from the crowd [in order] to save their own lives. Rukum's incident is a heinous crime. Organizza il tuo viaggio in Nepal con gli operatori locali selezionati da Evaneos e goditi la tua vacanza su misura. Please read our attribution policy to learn about freely redistributing our work Some Rights Reserved, Discrimination is criminalised, but Nepal's caste system is crippling, Dalit youth and five of his friends stoned to death in Nepal because of his love for an upper-caste girl, Bangladesh bids farewell to Argentinian football legend Maradona, Nepal's Sapana Roka Magar, who provides Hindu funeral rites for unclaimed bodies, listed in BBC's 100 Women of 2020. In time, more and more important positions in society have been held by Dalits. Click to Unmute. But Dipak lost his job and returned to Nepal on 30 June. Terai occupational castes – Dhobi, Halkhor, Chamar, Dushad, Dom, Musahars, etc. According to a comprehensive 2011 census report, Dalits made up 13.6 per cent of the total population (approximately 3.6 million people), but some researchers estimate that the number could be more. Dalit children are discriminated against in schools, going so far that, in most cases, they are forbidden from touching the meals during lunch. Mali Caste Surnames List They are friendly with the Jat, Tarkhan, Jheer and Kumhar communities.