A Voice For the Voiceless
The Advocacy Project helps marginalized communities to tell their story, claim their rights and produce social change. We recruit graduate students to volunteer as Peace Fellows with partners.
The Impact of Service
|
.jpg)
Translate this page:
Partner Campaigns
> Dalit Rights in N...
> Challenge
> Witchcraft
The Incident
A 45-year-old Dalit woman, Kalli Kumari Bishwokarma, was accused of practicing witchcraft, and was mercilessly beaten and forcefully fed her own excrement. The victim is a resident of Pyutar-07, Thangsingtole, Lalitpur District, Nepal, a neighboring district of Kathmandu which is only around 40 kilometers away from the capital city. Bimala Lama, a member of the indigenous community and headmistress of the Gadhibhanjyang Primary School, thrashed and fed Ms Kumari BK excrement on March 20, 2009 in the presence of the villagers.
Kalli Kumari BK was thrashed, kicked, punched and even hit by a stone by Bimala Lama, her sister and others, who told her that “Witches should be killed like this.” The victim sustained severe injuries to her nose, mouth, forehead and other parts of her body.
The victim Dalit woman was blamed of being a witch and practicing witchcraft on Bimala Lama (left), her daughter and other villagers as well. These claims were supported by local shaman Suwar Lama.
Villagers also threatened to kill her husband if he spoke up in support of his wife. Kalli Kumari BK and her husband were confined in a room of one of the relative’s of Bimala Lama for two days and tortured to force her to accept herself as a witch.
“I accepted myself as a witch when they opted to chop my breasts using blades,” Ms Kumari BK said. Her inner and outside garments were cut using the blades. She was made to agree that the animals died in the village because she practiced witchcraft on them. Additionally, she had to sign an agreement taking responsibility for any animals that might die in the coming days.
The victim filed a case at the Area Police Office in Ashrang on March 23, but the culprits are still out of the hands of the police.
The Investigation
When the Jagaran Media Center (JMC) found out about the incident, it coordinated with different organizations and media, and went to the village on March 25 with representatives from the National Dalit Commission, National Women's Commission, human rights organisations, journalists and a Dalit Constitutional Assembly member. The team, after seeing the hostile environment, rescued Kalli Kumari BK, husband Chet Bahadur, and her 17-year-old daughter. The villagers tried to attack the team using stones and sticks.
The victim’s family is now staying at the shelter of the Maiti Nepal, a women’s rights organization in Kathmandu.
A press conference was organized at the National Women’s Commission, where Kalli Kumari BK gave the details of the trauma she faced. The participants were overwhelmed after listening to her narrative. The following day, news was disseminated through newspapers, radio and television channels.
Taking Action
A meeting took place at the National Women’s Commission with representatives of Dalit civil society and other human rights organizations. At the meeting, a working committee was formed to help get justice for the victims.
The working committee sent a delegation to the Chief District Office (CDO) in Lalitpur on March 29 to pressure the local government to arrest the culprits, and provide compensation and assistance in resettling the victim’s family.
In spite of the pressure given by the Dalit civil society and others, the Chief District Officer (CDO) and Superintendent of the Police (SP) of Lalitpur District claim that they are searching for the culprits, but their efforts to arrest the accused are being foiled by the protesting villagers. The committee will take further action if the culprits are not jailed.
JMC is urging state bodies, Constituent Assembly members, Dalit civil society, Dalit organizations, human rights organizations, human rights defenders, lawyers, media and other stakeholders to help get justice to the victim, who has been abused and discriminated for being a member of the Dalit community.
Back
Witchcraft
 |
The women in this photo, a 45 year-old Dalit named Kalli Kumari Bishwokarma, was accused of witchcraft, badly beaten and forced to eat her own excrement. The case of Kalli Kumari Bishwokarma was investigated in March 2009 by the Jagaran Media Center and widely publicized in Nepal and internationally. It produced shock and dismay. AP was accused of sensationalism for transmitting the story. But, as the JMC report on the incident reveals, witchcraft is widely used to justify the subordination of Dalit in villages throughout Nepal. Victims – often women – are singled out by authority figures in the village, forced to eat excrement, and treated with great violence. This serves as a lesson to other Dalit, and a warning not to challenge their place in society. The JMC report is reprinted here in its entirety. |
The Incident
A 45-year-old Dalit woman, Kalli Kumari Bishwokarma, was accused of practicing witchcraft, and was mercilessly beaten and forcefully fed her own excrement. The victim is a resident of Pyutar-07, Thangsingtole, Lalitpur District, Nepal, a neighboring district of Kathmandu which is only around 40 kilometers away from the capital city. Bimala Lama, a member of the indigenous community and headmistress of the Gadhibhanjyang Primary School, thrashed and fed Ms Kumari BK excrement on March 20, 2009 in the presence of the villagers.
Kalli Kumari BK was thrashed, kicked, punched and even hit by a stone by Bimala Lama, her sister and others, who told her that “Witches should be killed like this.” The victim sustained severe injuries to her nose, mouth, forehead and other parts of her body.
 |
| The Accuser: Bimala Lama accused Kali Kumari of witchcraft. |
Villagers also threatened to kill her husband if he spoke up in support of his wife. Kalli Kumari BK and her husband were confined in a room of one of the relative’s of Bimala Lama for two days and tortured to force her to accept herself as a witch.
“I accepted myself as a witch when they opted to chop my breasts using blades,” Ms Kumari BK said. Her inner and outside garments were cut using the blades. She was made to agree that the animals died in the village because she practiced witchcraft on them. Additionally, she had to sign an agreement taking responsibility for any animals that might die in the coming days.
The victim filed a case at the Area Police Office in Ashrang on March 23, but the culprits are still out of the hands of the police.
The Investigation
When the Jagaran Media Center (JMC) found out about the incident, it coordinated with different organizations and media, and went to the village on March 25 with representatives from the National Dalit Commission, National Women's Commission, human rights organisations, journalists and a Dalit Constitutional Assembly member. The team, after seeing the hostile environment, rescued Kalli Kumari BK, husband Chet Bahadur, and her 17-year-old daughter. The villagers tried to attack the team using stones and sticks.
The victim’s family is now staying at the shelter of the Maiti Nepal, a women’s rights organization in Kathmandu.
A press conference was organized at the National Women’s Commission, where Kalli Kumari BK gave the details of the trauma she faced. The participants were overwhelmed after listening to her narrative. The following day, news was disseminated through newspapers, radio and television channels.
Taking Action
A meeting took place at the National Women’s Commission with representatives of Dalit civil society and other human rights organizations. At the meeting, a working committee was formed to help get justice for the victims.
The working committee sent a delegation to the Chief District Office (CDO) in Lalitpur on March 29 to pressure the local government to arrest the culprits, and provide compensation and assistance in resettling the victim’s family.
In spite of the pressure given by the Dalit civil society and others, the Chief District Officer (CDO) and Superintendent of the Police (SP) of Lalitpur District claim that they are searching for the culprits, but their efforts to arrest the accused are being foiled by the protesting villagers. The committee will take further action if the culprits are not jailed.
JMC is urging state bodies, Constituent Assembly members, Dalit civil society, Dalit organizations, human rights organizations, human rights defenders, lawyers, media and other stakeholders to help get justice to the victim, who has been abused and discriminated for being a member of the Dalit community.
.png){kind=small} |
.png){kind=small} |
.png){kind=small} |
.png){kind=small} |
 |
 |