Holi Festival of colour

Holi Festival of colour

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Women Suffer from Four Levels of Discrimination


Although the caste system was made illegal in 1962 in Nepal, it is still very much active throughout the country. The caste system is firmly embedded into Nepali culture in a complex structure that is difficult to untangle. It combines many different elements which strive to maintain a level of inequality and difference between ethnicities and groups based on birth right, ethnicity, occupation, power and financial assets. Although it’s easy for the so called ‘global west’ to criticize the caste system prominent in Asia, in reality the west has a caste system of its own usually referred to as class which is also based on birth right, ethnicity, occupation, power and financial assets. Arguably though it appears easier in the west to climb the social class ladder whereas in Nepal it is determined by birth.

One such group who struggles to shed the stigma cast upon them by the abolished caste system are Dalit’s, the so called ‘untouchable caste’ who are major victims of caste based discrimination. In the Far West hilly District of Doti, where the overall adult literacy rate is 42%, some Dalit women are suffering discrimination three fold; firstly because of their Dalit caste, secondly because they are women and thirdly because their families are infected with HIV/AIDS.
Sashi Sob resides in Doti and is District Chairperson of the Feminist Dalit Organisation, a national organisation which was set up in 1994 to "fight against caste and gender discrimination and to construct a just and equitable society". The Femimist Dalit Organisation is a member of Sankalpa Women’s Alliance for Peace, Justice and Democracy. It has defined itself as “Mission 50/50”, meaning proportionate and representative participation of women at all levels of the peace process and all state structures.

Sashi has noticed a trend in men seeking work outside of Doti to the neighbouring country of India. Local men are migrating to India for seasonal and long term work as labourers and security guards. Whilst working in the major cities of India the Nepali migrants are visiting the local brothels in which they are exposed to Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) such as HIV. As the migrant workers are not educated they are clueless to the dangers that they are exposing themselves to and consequently on their return to Doti they risk infecting their wives as well. When the men fall sick they believe that their ancestors are mad at them for visiting the brothels to have sex with prostitutes and are punishing them by making them sick, oblivious to the fact that they have contracted HIV. It is not common practice in Doti for people to seek medical help from health posts and hospitals. Consequently by the time they seek medical help, HIV has already developed into AIDS leading to death.

Sashi recalled the story of one Doti Dalit husband who migrated to Kerala, India and found another wife who he brought back to Doti to join his first wife. He had contracted HIV whilst working in India and had transmitted the disease to his new wife from Kerala; it was not confirmed if he had passed HIV on to his first wife, though the likelihood was high. The arrogance of bringing back a new wife is a good example of how some men regard their wife, i.e. with little respect. In another story Sashi spoke of a Doti wife who, after her husband had died of AIDS, was accused of gulping down her husband. It was not until community mediators became involved that they were able to convince the family of the truth behind the husband’s death.
The majority of men from Doti who migrate to India are Dalit as they are less likely to own land in which they can earn a living and are limited to employment opportunities due to their so called caste. Out of approximately the 800 people that are infected by HIV and AIDS in Doti approximately two thirds are Dalit. For Dalit women whose husbands die from AIDS this adds a forth layer of discrimination against them, i.e. being a widow.

Sashi Sob stated that if there were more employment opportunities for men in Doti then they would not have to migrate to India for work and if there was more awareness raising on safe sex and medical treatment for HIV then this would reduce the risk of infection. She didn’t mention the fact that men were committing adultery by having sex with prostitutes in brothels. Maybe this has been accepted as normal behaviour in Nepal, though it would be a different story if women were committing adultery, another opportunity for discrimination.


Published in The Republica

Inspiring comment by reader: "Hello Ms. Belinfante,I went through your article published in the Republica on July 25,2013 and I wanted to thank you on behalf of every woman struggling to come out of these beliefs and practices.
Be it the sufacial,I also came to realise the underlying oppression of women while studying Feminism, as I am a student of Literature(Arts). I hope that your article has helped a multitude to get inspired and provided the courage to the women power to always fight back!

Thank you for the attempt that you have made to aware people to let woman live peacefully.I look forward to reading your articles soon!!! "

Monday 1 July 2013

The Traffic Light Cocktail

Amongst the staggering beauty of Pokhara with it’s lake and mountainous back drop there is something lurking as sinister as its murky waters. It’s a feeling of desperation. With only a smattering of tourists trickling through to feed the surplus of cafes, restaurants and shops Pokhara really does feel like a beautiful parcel wrapped in wet news paper, especially during the monsoon.
Tourists totter around with invisible monetary symbols shining above their heads like halos, here more than most places I feel like a badeshi (foreigner). Set on the lakeside is the most picturesque bamboo bar which should be a busy bustling hangout for travellers, with its circular bamboo structure and comfortable cosy cushions, I try to make sense of its emptiness.

When my friend’s traffic light coloured mojito arrives a story is revealed. This bar is run by an Australian couple who have not provided cocktail making training to their staff. As my friend tries to return her dissatisfying cocktail the female cook comes to talk to us, she explains that if we return the cocktail of 400 npr/s ($4.22) then the two members of staff who work there will have to pay for it themselves from their meagre salary of 4000 npr/s ($42.00) per month which is the amount that I will pay for five nights accommodation in my Pokhara hotel. The stark contrast of our lives is so apparent I can almost touch it and my friend is faced with a morale dilemma to pay herself or to let the two staff members pay for her unwanted traffic light cocktail.

The female cook goes on to explain in a friendly chit chat manner about her life, she is careful not to reveal her untouchable dalit caste which I recognise from her ‘Nepali’ surname, although the caste system was abolished here over 50 years ago it’s very much still alive, so I am not at all surprised that she doesn’t volunteer this information, who would. I liken it to my grandfather who changed his Jewish surname after the Second World War, the word is full of discrimination based on names and what they supposedly represent.

Her husband left her 13 years ago when their son was just 1 month old and 1 year later she adopted an orphan who had been abandoned by his parents, she has a kind heart. Now she not only works as a cook in the kitchen at the bamboo bar, she also sleeps there by herself at night time as a security guard. The open layout of the bar makes me think about whether I would be brave enough to do the same, probably not. This place is basically her life. She presents us with the written instructions for making cocktails, they are written in Nepali English with the word mix substituted for the word muddle, it’s like a comic cocktail making script.


My friend agrees to pay for the traffic light cocktail, which I am not surprised at and advises them to check out mojito making instructions on google, which will not be an easy task. I finish my beer which is always a safe bet, though this place has left a bitter taste in my mouth and we say good bye to the cook and the untrained bar man knowing that while we are sleeping safely in our comfortable hotel beds tonight, she will be sleeping here on her own.


This article was published in the Republica 10th July 2013 http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=57543