Eleven months after the signing of a 10-point agreement between the government and former Kamlaris, two of the demands have been met. The former Kamlaris in the Capital threatening a series of protests if the government continues to ignore the agreement.

The government has abolished Kamlari practice and so far provided compensation to the families of Srijana Chaudhary and Meghi Chaudhary, two Kamlaris found dead at their respective employers’ houses. The other demands including amending the Kamlari Education Guidelines 2012, distributing Kamlari ID cards to freed ones, prosecuting households that still practice keeping Kamlaris and reimbursing medical costs incurred during the protest last year are yet to be addressed. As per the June agreement, the government formed a team to investigate the deaths and disappearances of Kamlaris, however, the report was never released.

Former Kamlaris submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare on Sunday demanding a swift action. They plan to submit memorandums to the Ministry of Education, Department of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday.

“We will wait for a few days before unleashing a series of protests,” said Phakala Tharu, legal advisor at Freed Kamlari Development Forum, an organisation of former Kamlaris. According to the organisation, around 350 Tharu girls still serve as Kamlaris nationwide.

Published on: 28 April 2014 | The Kathmandu Post