News

On the eve of the Asia-Europe (ASEM) Senior Officials Meeting which began in New Delhi this Wednesday, the leader of the Lithuanian delegation, Ambassador Ina Marčiulionytė met with the Nepalese human rights activist Shanta Chaudhary. Chaudhary fights for the emancipation and subsequent rehabilitation of the Nepalese citizens turned into slaves by poverty and tradition.

Chaudhary herself was eight years old when she was given away by her family to a wealthy Nepalese home. For 18 years she had to do different work for which she was paid 500 Nepalese rupees (5 US dollars) and a new dress per year.

Chaudhary left her hosts when she was 26 years old, a decision which cost her dearly and with immediate effect. Ostracized by the local community, she was forced to live in the jungles where she lost her newborn daughter due to malnutrition.

After the political regime change in Nepal, the Maoist Party invited Chaudhary to participate in the election campaign. As a result, she was elected to the Constituent Assembly in 2008 and appointed as the chairperson of the Natural Resources Committee.

High walls of the committee did not, however, safeguard the illiterate young lady from contempt and taunts, this time coming from her fellow colleagues in the parliament.

As the Constituent Assembly was dissolved in May 2012, Chaudhary found herself in a particularly difficult situation, since she was not qualifying for any job, either as a former slave or as a politician.

However, Chaudhary has not stopped her fight to build awareness in the Nepalese society of the forced labor issues the 21st century Nepal. She learned how to read and write and published her own autobiography. She also seeks to help the people who, like her, have decided to quit forced labor jobs.

Chaudhary estimates there are more than 2 thousand people in Nepal facing post-emancipation issues. Their failures to adapt to the new situation prevent other people from following suit and withdrawing from humiliating forced labor practices.

Ambassador Marčiulionytė promised to explore the possibilities of turning the international community’s attention to the forced labor issues in Nepal.

Human rights and particularly the women’s rights issues is a high priority for Lithuania. The European Institute for Gender Equality, a full-fledged EU body, has been operating in Vilnius since 2007. The Working Group on Gender Equality and Women’s Rights was created in Vilnius in 2010, as part of Lithuania’s presidency of the Community of Democracies program.