Today was quite a day. We visited a women’ human rights organization called WOREK. The work they do is truly inspirational. I even teared up at a point when one of the girls talked about women’s loss of dignity after rape, which as she explains, a million dollars could not compensate for. Apart from this productive meeting we had with the women at WOREK, we also met with the board members of the Dalit Commission to discuss what are the persisting challenges that the Dalit community faces in transitional Nepal and what progress have they made thus far. We met with representatives that were very eager to explain us the current situation –and so they did. The first thing they mentioned was the major success they made in passing a bill that made discrimination against Dalits illegal and punishable by law. As we find out later however, the bill bears very little legal status, since it lacks enforcement and implementation on all levels.
After the introduction Kiril asked the first question, which was burning on my mind too, he wanted to know how many of the board members were actual Dalits. To my surprise, they were all Dalits. After listening to the enthusiastic young man explaining the hardships of the Dalit community I had troubles believing that the board members were qualified to represent the interests of all Dalits, since they seemed a bit scripted and detached from the challenging realities Dalits are confronted with. During our preparatory workshops we got familiarized with many challenges that the Dalits face, and many of the things they told us in their introduction was as if we were rewinding the same videos we saw in the States. I had a feeling they were selling us a good story, a story we “wanted†to hear, and of course, what a great job they do. However once we started poking a bit, their answers became vague and even utterly false, such as the statement that the word Dalit means oppressed, when in fact it stands for “The People of the Soil†They further explained how they have excellent relationships with other NGO’s and human rights groups. Curiously tough, they have never drafted a joint policy nor have they ever combined forces to increase their chances of reaching their goals.
As the meeting was coming to an end, I asked the young presenter if there was a mechanism for a Dalit to change his/her last name, since one’s last name is a dead giveaway of ones cast, which instantaneously creates separation and discrimination. His upbeat answer was very disturbing to me. He said that the commission RECOMMENDS to Dalits, who come and seek assistance to change their name to give them a better chance. At that point I was almost certain that that man was no Dalit. Instead of empowering his community he urges them to change their identity to “fit in†better. It made no sense to me. After talking to my professor I was assured that he and the rest of the members were Dalits.
I wondered why there is such a deep disconnect with the Dalit reality. As it turns out there is an even greater inter-sub-caste discrimination, between the “elites†and the lower sub-castes within the Dalit caste. It’s a never-ending cycle of hierarchical bullying and discrimination. No matter how much one gets discriminated against in the society, government, workplace, household, one will always find someone else he can exert his power over. Realizing this, a future of equality and prosperity for all Nepalese seems almost impossible. I remain hopeful since this was our second day in Nepal. Lets hope I’m wrong.