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The Badi Community of Nepal - Issue 50
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The Badi community is a distinct group within Nepal’s Dalit or ‘untouchable’ caste with its own traditions, way of speaking Nepali and forms of social organization. The term Badi is derived from the Sanskrit word Vadyabadak and means ‘one who plays musical instruments’, referring to the period when they were a caste of nomadic entertainers in neighboring Indian states as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Currently almost forty thousand Badi live in Nepal,the majority in the Tarai districts of the Mid and Far Western Regions.The Badi are ranked at the bottom of Nepal’s caste system,even within the Dalit intra-caste
hierarchy, which has given them the infamous label of ‘untouchables of the untouchables’.Although, both 2006 Interim Constitution(IC) and Comprehensive Peace Agreement(CPA) commit to end discrimination and protect the rights of women and marginalized groups,the Badi community continues to face extreme socio-economic marginalization. Limited access to basic services, employment opportunities and land ownership result in widespread poverty among the community. Badi women in particular are affected by discriminatory practices and social stigma due to their perceived association with prostitution. Their plight received national attention after the ‘Badi
Andolan’ (Badi movement) of August 2007 made headlines in major newspapers.
This Field Bulletin looks at the current situation of the Badi community in Nepal. Supported by personal accounts of Badis, it examines the community’s main challenges and highlights to what extent factors such as discrimination, social stigma and exclusion have contributed to their socio-economic marginalization in Nepali society. The Field Bulletin also describes some of the steps taken by the Government of Nepal (GoN) in recent years to alleviate the community’s plight. It concludes by exploring the following questions; to what extent is the predicament of the Badi emblematic of broader issues of exclusion and discrimination in Nepal? And,what are its potential implications for the larger peace and development process in Nepal?
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Publisher:
UNRCHCO
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(2012
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Type / Script:
Bulletin or Poster
in English
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Keywords:
ETHNIC GROUP, CULTURAL IDENTITY, CULTURE CONFLICT, ECONOMIC MARGINALIZATION, RIGHTS ACTIVITIST, AGREEMENT, HARRASMENT, PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIP, CASTE BASED DISCRIMINATION, POPULATION GROWTH, VULNERABLE, DISCRIMINATION, SINGING AND DANCING, SOCIAL STIGMA, PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT
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Thematic Group:
UNRCHCO (UNRCO)
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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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