Dignity for Badis Women
"We Shouldnt be Tagged 'Sex Workers'"
BY SANGEETA RIJAL
Go to article: Report: Dignity for Badis Women (2005)
Go to article: Badis Women and Prostitution (2004)
Go to article: Maoists Beat Badis Prostitutes(1994)
Go to article: HIV, Prostitution, and Caste System (1994)
Go to article: Economics of Badis Prostitution (1993)
Go to article: History of the Badis People
Go to article: Art Show at UN features drawings by women of the sex trade in Nepal
TIKAPUR, Kailali, Sept 27 - Chandni Badi of Dhansinghpur VDC, 2, a mother of two children, cannot stop smiling these days. The reason behind her joy is the self-esteem and self-empowerment within her. Her happiness is skyrocketing with increasing awareness among the Badi community which, otherwise, is known for sex trade by a significant number of its women.
Be it ministers or other high level officials or jamindars (landlord), now no one dares to ask for their daughters to go with them, which was very common until some five years back. Rather, all the children in her community go to school, which makes her cry out of happiness.
"Whenever high-level officer would come asking for our young daughters we could find no place to hide them. It was simply hellish when we were forced to compel our daughters to go with them," Chandni recalls her past, with eyes full of tears.
Many Badi women are abandoning the taboo profession.
"After Community Support Group (CSG), a forum of Badis started giving us Regenerated Freirian Literacy through Community Empowerment Training (REFLECT), it gave rise to higher levels of awareness among us. Consequently flesh trade has drastically decreased," says Chandni.
According to Kavita Nepali, a 16-year-old, who is a seventh grader at Shree Karnali Higher Secondary School, men used to ask whether they were willing to go with them. They were often abused verbally and physically, just for being from the Badi community. "But this has decreased, though prejudice from some people still prevails," she says.
One of 55 children staying in Child Awareness Center (CAC), a hostel established by CSG so as to minimize the risk of younger generation getting into the flesh trade, Kavita said, "We are not only asking our family members to abandon flesh trade but also making people aware of HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases."
The children in CAC at Narayanpur VDC Ward No. 2 have been continuing several advocacy programs so as to ensure that no Badi continues the profession. "We visit door-to-door to make women aware of their right to live with dignity," Kavita says.
Due to this self-realization, Badi people have been sending their children to the CAC. All the children in this hostel are those from high-risk families, says Geeta Khadka, the hostel in-charge.
According to Uma Badi, a large number of women were in flesh trade even until five years ago. "But today only three women in our village are in the trade," she says. There are 35 houses of Badis in Dhansinghpur.
"Simply interpreting already existing provisions can't ensure our rights to citizenship," said Uma, president of CSG, responding to the recent verdict from Supreme Court (SC) which ruled that no child born on Nepali soil can be denied citizenship. However, neither the existing law nor the SC verdict allows women to get citizenship in their name.
Among 3657 Badi population in five districts Western Region - Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur - 622 lack access to citizenship. "We Badis don't want our children to get citizenship card with the remark 'father not identified', Uma clears their stand for women's right to citizenship. "The issue of citizenship in the name of the mother will remain the major agenda for Badis."
Instead of promoting condom in our community we want no children of Badis lack access to school, the Badi women emphasize.
Posted on: 2005-09-27
