Oped»
Which is witch?
JUN 24 -
They dragged me out of my room, took me into a cowshed and forced me to eat human faeces and drink urine,” said Kali Biswokarma, a resident of Pyutar village, 40 km from Kathmandu. Kali was accused of making a school teacher ill by casting evil spells through the practice of witchcraft, and this was how her fellow community people decided to punish her.
Another hair-raising tale of Sebaki Teli of Siraha lately captured the attention of the local media and women’s rights activists. Sebaki was beaten almost to death, also forced to eat human excreta and wear a garland of shoes after being charged of practicing black magic to kill children. She is currently being treated in a district hospital with assistance from a local women’s rights organisation.
There have been innumerable cases of women being brutally battered by their in-laws and community people on the charge of practicing black magic. Torturing women on the charge of witchcraft has been rife particularly in rural Nepal. According to the Nepal Police, five cases of women being tormented for practicing witchcraft have been registered in just a month’s time (April-May 2010).
Every year, hundreds of rural Nepali women are forced to undergo the fellow-human-being-induced torture like this, which is nothing more than a discriminatory practice in a brutal form of violence showcasing the unequal gender-power relation and women’s subordinate position. Reports of such merciless practices attract our quick attention, and the authorities make statements time and again that the perpetrators would be brought to justice, but the frequency of such malpractices is escalating.
Most often, victims do not file a case at the local police station due to the fear of being ostracised by the community and abandoned by their families. It is also commonly noted that the police prefer this kind of issue to be settled amicably by the community people themselves, resulting in their reluctance to register such cases formally. As a result, the perpetrators of such heinous crimes are hardly brought to book.
There has so far been a clear lack of comprehensive research and enough empirical evidence on the practice of witchcraft in Nepal. However, reports of organisations like the Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD) and Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN) have argued that witchcraft is just a socio-cultural crime based on superstitious beliefs and prejudices. Most often, widows, single women, women from the lower strata and castes are alleged to be practicing witchcraft or locally called boksi. This again raises the question: Are we not taking advantage of their marginalised position and is it not rather bullying?
In rural areas, there are numerous men who practice tantra mantra as spiritual healers—locally known as dhami-jhankris. It is common to bring sick people—even as vulnerable as newborns and the elderly—to these healers, with a visible preference over educated paramedics. Despite the fact that many succumb while under their “treatments”, these healers are never regarded as male witches or boksa. Rather, they are bestowed with special respect by the community. It is obvious for anyone commanding that respect to exercise their power over vulnerable women by accusing them of practicing black magic. In a nutshell, it is just another way of victimising women in a patriarchal society: When it comes to torture and accusations, vulnerable women are easy prey.
Women’s rights activists argue that there is a legal vacuum, and thus an urgent need to introduce specific laws to punish the perpetuators involved in abusing and assaulting women on charges of practicing witchcraft.
Nepal ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in April 1991. Also known as the Treaty for the Rights of Women, CEDAW is the most comprehensive international agreement on the basic human rights of women. As it provides an international standard for protecting and promoting women’s human rights, it is often referred to as the “Bill of Rights” for women. It is the only international instrument that comprehensively addresses women’s rights within political, civil, cultural, economic and social lives. As of May 2010, 186 countries have ratified CEDAW.
As CEDAW has been instrumental in opposing the effects of discrimination—which include violence, poverty, lack of legal protection, denial of inheritance and property rights, lack of access to credit and so forth—in many nations that have ratified the treaty, why should Nepal remain an exception? Almost two decades after showing our commitment on paper, why we are not being able to capitalise on this opportunity?
Nepal’s judiciary and legislature have recognised gender equality in terms of the right to privacy, inheritance of ancestral property by daughters, rural employment, protection from domestic violence and other discriminatory practices. However, violence against women is rampant and continues not only due to lax enforcement and ineffectiveness of regulatory bodies but also because of the prevailing deep-rooted cultural norms and rigid prejudices.
Last year, the government made a good gesture with the prime ministerial declaration of 2010 as Year against Gender-Based Violence. This was followed by the announcement of the National Plan of Action (NPA) by the prime minster. The NPA has its foundation on three Ps (i.e., prosecution, protection and prevention) and focuses on better understanding of the magnitude and nature of all types of violence against women.
Officials at the Ministry of Finance claim that the government has been increasing the gender responsive budget each year to work towards achieving gender equality and inclusion. For example, compared to the allocation of Rs. 32.91 billion or 13.94 percent of the total budget in the fiscal year 2008/09, the 2009/10 budget has earmarked Rs. 49.46 billion or 17.3 percent. Given the ugly trend of development expenditure falling short of the target over the past six years in a row, the government’s argument of doing their bit merely by publicising these numbers is not enough. Rather than blaming the political uncertainty, delayed budget announcement and endorsement, the government needs to devise ways to implement the budgeted programmes amid this scenario as we are likely to face similar disturbances for at least a few more years.
Robust initiatives towards empowering women—legally and socio-economically—are needed immediately. It is very critical to raise awareness against the absurd and life threatening practices going on in the communities. In order to ensure that women live a violence-free life with due respect and dignity, men have to be at the core of all awareness raising initiatives. The government’s plan to launch women development programmes and expand them to all the village development committees gradually is laudable. But time is running out to convince women with visible actions that they should no longer feel insecure.
(The author is a development professional)
upadhyay_b@yahoo.com
Posted on: 2010-06-25 08:14
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