August 20, 2014
Press Release
Bill Welcomed
Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) welcomes the bill tabled by the government at Legislature-Parliament to take action against the people physically abusing and mistreating people accusing them of being witch. We have been demanding such a law for the last two decades. One of the people victimized by such violence and who is currently actively involved in campaign against such malpractice, Marani Devi is an INSEC member.
It has been found that most of the victims of such abuse are dalit, single women and financially weak women. INSEC documentation from January to June of 2014 shows that there were 36 people abused on the charge of being witch.
I hope that the bill, which also has a provision of making the perpetrator pay the compensation to the victim, will be endorsed unanimously by the Legislature-Parliament.
Subodh Raj Pyakurel
Chairperson