WUNRN
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A large number of women are victims to the witch hunt
practice in Nepal |
KATHMANDU, 18 November
2007 (IRIN) - Rupisara Darji is still in shock and undergoing medical treatment
after a brutal beating by her relatives, who accused her of being a witch or
“boksi” in the Nepalese language. They blamed her for using black magic to make
a young girl ill in Myagdi district, 400km south of the capital, Kathmandu.
“She was severely beaten with logs so that her witch’s
spell would leave the girl’s body,” said a local teacher, Man Bahadur Pariyar,
who with other villagers helped to rescue 60-year-old Darji and took her to the
local health centre.
“This should not be tolerated. It is time we realised
this [so-called] witch-craft is ridiculous and primitive,” said Pariyar.
Women’s rights activists have been battling for decades
to end this form of gender violence but the problem persists, especially in the
Terai region, the southern fertile plains of the country, they say.
“We are still shocked to find the incidence of women
being subject to the worst form of violence - both physical and mental - at the
hands of their families and local communities,” said activist Bandana Rana.
Rana’s documentary film, Witch - Myth or Reality, made
nearly a decade ago, for the first time exposed the gross violation of human
rights against Nepalese women accused of being witches.
Activists believe that awareness of harmful myths
surrounding witch-craft should be spread more effectively across the country
because of concerns such superstitions result in the victimisation of innocent
women.
According to documented case studies by women’s rights
groups, the elderly, widows, or extremely poor are often singled out as
witches. In addition, many are of low caste.
Legal vacuum
Activists blame traditional spiritual healers, Jhankri,
also known as witch-doctors, for victimising innocent women, labelling them as
witches.
“The worst problem is that we still don’t have any laws
to apply harsh punishment to those who torture women in their witch-hunt,” said
rights activist Samjha Shrestha.
Activists had hoped to introduce specific laws to punish
those involved in witch-hunts but so far this abuse has still not been
sufficiently addressed by the government, said Shrestha. The only punishment is
short-term imprisonment.
“We cannot neglect this issue just because it doesn’t
get frequently reported in the media because women continue to be vulnerable
and at high risk,” said Rana. She added that some families were now using
witch-hunts as a cover to victimise female relatives, especially widows, to
deprive them of their property rights.
The worst problem is that we still don’t have any laws to apply
harsh punishment to those who torture women in their witch-hunt.
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Activists hope to enlist the help of religious
leaders to educate the so-called witch-doctors to change the mindset of local
communities.
“The families still close their doors to us when we tell
them not to put their faith in these spiritual healers,” said Rana, who
explained that the government should take greater initiatives to sensitise
people to this issue and spread public awareness.
However, government officials at the Ministry of Women said
there was insufficient data to ascertain the extent of the problem. But
activists claimed that most of the incidents happen behind closed doors and the
true circumstances of the victims were not known even when they were
hospitalised.
“The victims are themselves too scared to talk about the
abuse, fearing that they would be tortured again, so they keep their abuse
confidential,” said Shrestha.
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