Kathmandu: It’s already 17 years since the Haliya Pratha, an exploitative system of agrarian bonded labor practiced in the districts of the Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces, was ended in 2008. Abolishing the practice of bonded labor, the government had announced resettlement programs for the bonded laborers, marking their emancipation in nine districts of the Sudurpaschim and three of Karnali provinces.
According to National News Agency Nepal, stakeholders have stated that some families of the Haliya are still not resettled despite the government’s announcement long ago. The Executive Director of Rastriya Mukta Haliya Samaj Federation stated that only 13,546 families were resettled out of the total 16,953 Haliya families verified by the government. Furthermore, 1,104 families are still awaiting the final tranche of the assistance.
The Federation has urged the government to take the resettlement of the free Haliya seriously. “This is disappointing. Those getting identity cards too were not resettled. And, some of the families are yet to get the identity cards,” Federation’s Chairman Ishwar Sunar expressed. Activists have called for prioritizing issues such as education, health care, employment, sustainable livelihood, social empowerment, and inclusion in the resettlement process.
In recent years, some local levels in the two provinces have also developed procedures for the resettlement of free Haliya. According to records compiled by the Federation, 30 local levels in Sudurpaschim and one in Karnali have unveiled such procedures. The Sudurpaschim Province government has also prepared the Free Kamaiya, Haliya, and Kamlari Resettlement Procedures. Stakeholders have urged for the implementation of such legal instruments.
Activist Hariram Shreepaili argued that the resettlement agenda for the freed Haliya would not be delayed if all three layers of government fulfilled their responsibilities. A recent study by the UN agency ILO revealed that many freed Haliya families in Karnali Province still face poverty, discrimination, and lack of basic services. The report titled “Analysis of situation of the freed-Haliyas in Karnali Province of Nepal” has called for a coordinated, rights-based approach to ensure full inclusion and justice for all freed Haliyas while examining the socio-economic and political realities of freed Haliya families in Surkhet, Jajarkot, and Humla districts.