The Tharu: Indigenous People of South Tarai of Nawalparasi

The Tharu is one of the ethnic groups of Nepal found through out Terai region from east to west. They have been living mainly in Dang, Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts including Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Morang, Saptari and Jhapa. They have their own dialect. They are divided into various clan groups. They have deep affiliation with forest and river. They love fishing. Each Tharu village has a deity known as Bhuinyar. Holi and Maghi are the major festivals. Agriculture is the main occupation for them. They are working as a bondage labour in western part of Nepal.

The Tharu people, an indigenous ethnic group living in the lowlands of western Nepal, have a unique culture, language, and tradition. They also carry the burdensome heritage of indentured servitude.

With a population of 1.19 million (6.5 per cent of the national poplation), the Tharu are one of the country's largest ethnic groups.

They are indigenous to the Terai region where the vast majority is still spread across 22 districts from east to west. They are particularly numerous in the West and Far-Western Districts of Kanchanpur, Kailali, Bardiya, Banke, and Dang.

Government statistics indicate that 79 per cent of Tharu above the age of six have never gone to school.
The Tharu were feared by outsiders and the land they inhabited was infested with malaria, to which the Tharu have a natural immunity. They were consequently left to develop in comparative isolation for many centuries. It is only in t recent historical period that they have come into direct contact with neighboring civilizations.

Agricultural bonded labour:

Nepal is the second poorest country in the world, the land of Mount Everest, and the birth place of Lord Buddha. It is also famous for its natural beauty, its resources and its unique tradition and culture. Behind Nepalese culture there lie a number of traditions hidden from the outer world. One of them is forms of slavery. These include child labour in the formal and informal sector, child domestic work, and the trafficking of girls into prostitution in India. In agriculture, the Kamaiya and Haliyasystems are living examples of contemporary slavery in Nepal. About 57,000 bonded child laborers between age group 5-18 in Agricultural Sector in Nepal.

Since the arrival of democracy in 1990 many national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and trade unions have become aware of the extent to which these forms of slavery pervade Nepalese life. Anti-Slavery and its partner organizations have produced evidence of these before this Working