JANAKPURDHAM, Jan 7: The national convention of the National Harawa-Charawa Rights Forum (NHRF) is to be held in Janakpurdham on February 24 and 25 this year. 

The forum’s General-Secretary Lagendra Sada said they are preparing for the national convention which will be held at local Bahra Bigha Rangabhumi ground. He said the Forum has already held the district-level conventions in all the eight districts of Madhesh Province between October 14, 2023 and January 5, 2024.

Similarly, the Forum organized the municipality-level conventions in over 60 local units with predominantly Harawa-Charawa populations before the district conventions, Forum leader and Dhanusha district president Rajdev Mukhiya said. 

"Now we have geared up for the national convention after conducting the local and district-level conventions. Hundreds of Harawa-Charawa, and representatives and observers of national and international development partner organizations will be attending the national convention," he added.

The Harawa-Charawas had been waging a movement for emancipation from the Harawa-Charawa practice, a kind of bonded labor system, with the Rastriya Dalit Network (RDN)'s support, said Hukum Bahadur Sarki, executive-director of RDN which has been supporting the free-Harawa-Charawa campaign. 

The government has already freed the Harawa-Charawa from this outdated and exploitative practice on July 18, 2022.

While announcing the emancipation of people working as Harawacharawa, the government had declared that the debt the Hatawacharawa owed to their landlords would be annulled, data on the number of Harawacharawas would be collected and land plots would be provided to them. Similarly, anyone found employing people as Harawa-Charawa would be subjected to legal action.   

However, the Forum is continuing with its movement under the leadership of RDN, citing that the government's policies and programs, and budget have not included any rehabilitation programmes for the freed Harawacharawas.

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