Citizenship is an integral part of one’s identity and the primary means through which people interact with the state and secure their political, social and economic rights. However, the acquisition of citizenship has not always been easy for everyone. A porous border and historical migration from both north and south have rendered the determination of Nepali citizenship a difficult and complex process. Furthermore, poverty, lack of education, unclear laws, poor infrastructure, and ineffective service delivery also render acquiring citizenship a difficult task, particularly for excluded groups. This is more prevalent among poor and marginalized social groups in Nepal, including women. As a result, some eligible Nepali citizens have
been deprived of their citizenship rights and rendered de facto stateless. There are no concrete figures on exactly how many eligible residents are without citizenship certificates, but one estimate from 1994 states
a range from 3-5 million1. As citizenship gains prominence as the primary criterion to exercise the right to vote, controversies surrounding it are also flaring up. The Government of Nepal (GoN) recently initiated some steps to grant citizenship to eligible Nepalis who do not hold a certificate. Several rounds of citizenship registration through mobile teams have been undertaken in various districts, mainly in the Tarai where the problem is known to be acute. The decision that citizenship is required for inclusion on the voter list has evoked strong reactions in many Tarai districts, amidst claims and counter claims about the legitimacy of the process. Though citizenship is a nationwide issue, this field bulletin focuses on the context in Banke by articulating the voices of different groups in the district in relation to citizenship.
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Publisher:
UNRCHCO
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(2011
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Type / Script:
Bulletin or Poster
in English
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Keywords:
CITIZENSHIP, ETHNIC CONFLICT, NATURALIZATION, JUS SANGUINIS, ILLITERATE, DALIT COMMUNITY, ALIENATION, CLASS STRUGGLE, CONFLICT OF GENERATIONS, CULTURE CONFLICT, DISSIDENTS, HOSTILITY, LABOUR DISPUTES, SOCIAL CLASSES, SOCIAL CONTROL, PREVENTION GROUP, CONFLICT PREVENTION, INTER-COMMUNAL NEGOTIATIONS, LANGUAGE MINORITIES, MINORITIES RACE, RACE RELATIONS, RELIGIOUS GROUPS,MARGINALIZED SOCIAL GROUPS,NEPALI CITIZENSHIP, DEPRIVED GROUPS, POROUS BOARDER, UNCLEAR LAW, POOR INFRASTRUCTURE
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Thematic Group:
UNRCHCO (UNRCO)
:
UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Office (UN Resident Coordinator Office)
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Thesaurus:
14.05.03
- Social Development
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Reference Link:
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