The District Administration Office (DAO) said the girls turned Kamlaris even as a campaign is ongoing to root out the tradition. Officials and rights activists have taken this seriously. [break]
Chief District Officer Rishiram Dhakal, who also coordinates the District Monitoring Committee for freeing Kamlaris, said girls whose parents are very poor and have very little awareness have little choice other than becoming Kamlaris. Dhakal admitted that insufficient monitoring in the district has led to perpetuation of this practice.
Several NGOs in the district are spending millions in the name of eradicating the practice. Even the government has provided Rs 9.6 million through the District Education Office to freed Kamlaris. Around 430 Kamlaris have been freed in the district so far.
Last year, the DAO along with several NGOs declared the district Kamlari-free. There are 149 girls still working as indentured laborers in the district, in addition to the 59 fresh Kamlaris.
“This is serious,” said Dhakal.
Many NGOs fighting the practice conduct door-to-door raids apart from conducting checks along checkpoints.
Dhakal said the practice is thriving despite these efforts because of lack of education and awareness. “Parents have to be made aware,” he said.
Girls working as Kamlaris in the district are mostly from the Tharu community.
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