The Haruwa-Charuwa Rights Forum drew the attention of INSEC and the National Human Rights Commission on November 19, requesting their initiative to approve the procedure for collecting, verifying, and distributing identity cards to freed Haruwa-Charuwa. General Secretary, Lagendra Sada of the National Forum stated that the Haruwa-Charuwa Rights Forum, under the leadership of district-level Haruwa-Charuwa Rights Forums formed in eight districts of Madhesh Province (Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, and Parsa), drew the attention of INSEC and the National Human Rights Commission’s Madhesh Province Office on November 19. These organizations of the Haruwa-Charuwa Rights Forum have been established in 42 municipalities across eight districts of Madhesh Province, actively conducting programs. In this context, the forum demanded the immediate initiation of data collection on Haruwa-Charuwa, as the policy, programs, and budget for the fiscal year 2022/2023, passed by the Provincial Assembly, had included provisions for collecting such data.
Rajwati Devi Mandal, Treasurer of the Haruwa-Charuwa Rights Forum, stated that the Forum has urged action to implement the procedure prepared under the initiative of the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperative, Madhesh Province, for the collection, verification, and distribution of identity cards to the freed Haruwa-Charuwa. She emphasized the need for data collection, verification, and identity card distribution while highlighting that the government has neglected rights-focused campaigns for Haruwa-Charuwa, necessitating this appeal.
The Study Committee on the Status of Freed Haliya, Kamaiya-Kamlahari, and Haruwa-Charuwa has called for the immediate implementation of the recommendations submitted to the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation. The demands stress the enforcement of Article 51 of the Constitution of Nepal, which mandates the identification and rehabilitation of freed Haruwa-Charuwa, landless individuals, and settlers with housing and agricultural land for their livelihood. Additionally, it calls for the full implementation of Articles 18, 24, and 40 of the Constitution. The demands also include a strict directive to halt any eviction of freed Haruwa-Charuwa from their current settlements without alternative resettlement programs.
Chairperson of the National Freed Haruwa-Charuwa Rights Forum, Dashanlal Mandal, stated that despite over two years since the government declared the liberation of Haruwa-Charuwa along with the cancellation of their debts on July 18, 2022, the rehabilitation efforts have not progressed as expected. He further highlighted that the procedure for collecting data, verifying identities, and distributing identity cards to freed Haruwa-Charuwa, prepared under the initiative of the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperative, Madhesh Province has yet to be approved. This delay has created significant challenges in ensuring the judicial rehabilitation of freed Haruwa-Charuwa.