One more step

As a part of the peace process, the discharge of disqualified Maoist combatants from the cantonments is continuing. As per the agreement, the discharge was begun on January 7 with 201 PLA combatants of the Second Division in Dudhauli who had been disqualified by UNMIN. On Sunday, a further 258 disqualified combatants, 91 of them females, were discharged from Shaktikhor based third division cantonment of PLA. That the discharge has been going on peacefully augurs well as the peace process envisages the rehabilitation of the disqualified combatants as one of the priorities. A token amount of Rs. 22,000 was provided to each discharged individual. It does not, however, mean that the responsibilities of the UN and the government are over as regards the disqualified combatants. The youthful former combatants had been languishing in the cantonments for over three years, and now they have the opportunity to start their lives anew. How they will fare in the future will be an important component of the peace process. For the moment, they are to be provided with free skill training and educational facilities should they want these so as to facilitate them to lead new lives. They would also get economic assistance should they desire to start their own business.

The disqualified combatants have been issued identity cards as compensation for the time they lost and to start their normal lives all over again. At one time it was questioned whether these discharges would ever take place, but now that they have there has been a sigh of relief for this was said to be one of the major hitches in the peace process. At first, there was much controversy as to which combatants were to be disqualified, and it took a lot of effort from UNMIN and other concerned sides to classify them as such. According to the agreement, those below the age of 18 and those recruited after the ceasefire were to be treated as disqualified. Since the majority of those who have been discharged are in the prime of their youth it is natural for them to look ahead so that they have a bright future. The society should ease their rehabilitation process so that they may be able to easily adjust in the normal civil life.

Meanwhile, many of the disqualified combatants had been leaving the cantonments on their own before the discharge process began. Here, the question is whether enough is being done to compensate the disqualified combatants. Merely giving them skill trainings and the like might not be enough for them to start afresh. No doubt, many of them have undergone through much trauma during the conflict period so it would be in order to provide them with proper counseling and also to give them priority or an edge so that they may secure better jobs in the competitive market. Ultimately, this is only a prelude to the ultimate goal of the rehabilitation and reintegration of the PLA combatants who are now in the cantonments. For the moment, the manner in which the discharge of the disqualified combatants is carried out will be carefully watched for on it also hinges the peace process. Though gradually, the pieces seem to be falling into their slots one by one.

Action, not slogans

Despite the new slogan of gender equality and the like, women are still at the receiving end both physically and mentally. So much has been talked about the plight of the Nepali women but reports of their abuse surface almost daily to make them a matter of grave concern among the enlightened. Concern is expressed in speeches and papers, but only a little headway has been made in real terms to end all forms of discrimination against women. A recent news report in this daily has prominently highlighted the fatality, in Achham district, caused by the age old superstitious belief in the far western region of Nepal that menstruating women have to be “quarantined” in the cowshed for the duration. In another gruesome event unfolding, an unrelenting dowry death has been reported from Rajbiraj. Or think of the woman in Dailekh district who has been stricken by HIV/AIDS all because of the “sin” of her husband who already is dead.

The few instances of what evil befalls women is enough to reveal that their overall status has not undergone any radical change for the better.

In all this, where are those who profess their life for maintaining human rights and dignified living of the women of Nepal?