Thirteen years have passed since the government declared the liberation of Kamlari women from bonded labor. Following a 10-point agreement reached between protesting Kamlaris and the Government of Nepal on June 27, 2013, the country officially announced the end of the Kamlari system.
Former Kamlaris from Dang and other western districts, including Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, and Kanchanpur, say that many commitments made in the agreement—such as support for education, healthcare, employment, and rehabilitation- have not been fully implemented. They also report difficulties in accessing government services because many have not received official identification cards recognizing their status as freed Kamlaris.
According to Manjita Chaudhary, former chairperson of the Freed Kamlari Development Forum, there are currently 12,769 freed Kamlaris in Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, and Kanchanpur. Of them, only 4,934 have received identification cards, while 7,835 are still waiting to obtain them.
Without these identification cards, many freed Kamlaris face challenges in accessing scholarships, higher education opportunities, social security benefits, and other regular government services. Chaudhary says it is disappointing that even after 13 years of liberation, many still have to struggle for official recognition.
The Dang chapter of the Freed Kamlari Development Forum states that since the declaration of liberation, 127 freed Kamlaris have pursued postgraduate studies, while around 700 are studying from school level up to bachelor’s level. However, some have reportedly missed out on higher-education scholarships and have had to discontinue their studies due to financial difficulties linked to the lack of identification cards.
The forum has also called for vocational training for freed Kamlaris who were unable to continue formal education or are older in age, employment opportunities based on skills, and access to land and housing for landless freed Kamlaris.