PAVING THE WAY FOR DALIT COMMUNITIES

Part of the Women in development artical series

Written by Olivia Vargas Illum & Magnus Gedsø Poulsen

We were brought up with the saying, “Never judge a book by it’s cover.” But imagine having a preconception about who you are and what opportunities you will have in life before you are even born.

In Nepal, around 81% of the population identifies as Hindu, a religion traditionally associated with the caste system. The caste system is based on the concept of social and ritual hierarchy and is traditionally divided into four main groups, known as the Varnas: the Brahmins, traditionally priests and scholars; the Kshatriyas, traditionally kings and warriors; the Vaishyas, traditionally traders and businesspeople; and the Shudras, traditionally farmers and labourers.

Beyond these four groups is the Dalit community, historically placed outside the caste system because of occupations that were considered ritually impure. This led to Dalit people being labelled “untouchable” and subjected to severe discrimination.

The caste system has played a significant role in determining a person’s identity, social status and opportunities in life. Although the four Varnas are broadly defined, the boundaries between them have historically been rigid, making it extremely difficult for people to break away from the social position they were born into. The situation became even more formalised in 1854, during the Rana regime, when the Muluki Ain (National Legal Code) was introduced. The code established detailed rules governing behaviour between castes and specified punishments for those who violated them — judging a book before its cover had even been made.

A Seat at the Table

In later years, the Muluki Ain was revised, and discrimination based on caste became illegal in Nepal. Yet legal protection does not necessarily eliminate discrimination in everyday life.

One example of creating greater opportunities for Dalit people can be found at the NGO CHILDREN-Nepal. When recruiting a Programme Coordinator for a programme supporting Dalit children and families, the organisation specifically sought a candidate from the Dalit community. The decision had several purposes: to address the lack of Dalit representation within a programme working with Dalit communities, to build trust by having someone with a shared background, and to create professional opportunities for people from a community that has historically faced barriers to education and employment.

One person who was given this opportunity is Sujata Gaire.

Sujata holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management and worked as an accountant in the private sector for five years, including during part of her studies. She left her job after giving birth to her daughter because she needed six months of maternity leave, while her workplace would only offer three. Looking for new challenges and opportunities, she came across a vacancy announcement in a newspaper. One detail immediately caught her attention: the organisation was specifically looking for a candidate from the Dalit community.

She also learned that the position focused on creating opportunities for Dalit girls, which made the job even more meaningful to her. Although the organisation had opened a door for a Dalit applicant, getting through it still required determination. Sujata had to complete an application form, take a written exam and a computer test, attend an interview and complete a writing test.

She successfully made it through the selection process and has now worked at CHILDREN-Nepal as a Programme Coordinator in the Children and Family section for the past two and a half years.

Her work involves supporting marginalised children and families across three schools, where she is responsible for approximately 50 students. She helps ensure that they are healthy, receive an education and thrive both at school and at home. She also organises and facilitates local community programmes focused on education and empowerment for children and parents, as well as writing reports for individual sponsors and the project itself.

A Role Model

Sujata herself grew up in the Dalit community. She explains that she did not experience the most extreme forms of “untouchability” during her childhood and considers herself fortunate not to have grown up in a rural community, where caste-based discrimination can be particularly severe.

However, she has still experienced discrimination because of her caste. While direct discrimination based on caste is illegal in Nepal, she explains that discrimination continues to happen indirectly. She remembers being prohibited from entering the kitchens of friends from higher castes and being denied the opportunity to rent a house because she is Dalit.

These experiences have clearly left an impression on Sujata. Describing them, she simply says,

“…it is very disgusting.”

At the same time, her experiences have strengthened her determination to work hard — particularly in her work with Dalit girls and communities. Sujata’s background has become one of her greatest strengths in her work. When she visits Dalit communities, she shares her own story. As she explains with a smile,

“…they feel so proud of me.”

Seeing someone from their own community succeed can inspire the girls and women she works with. It gives them the feeling that they can do it too — that education and professional opportunities can be within their reach.

Sujata does not only inspire the community because she is Dalit herself. She also creates a positive and comfortable environment where people feel safe enough to be vulnerable and speak openly.

And, with a wink and a smile, she adds: “Ladies love to share things.”

Not Always a Bed of Roses

Despite her passion for her work, Sujata also points to several challenges that she and her female colleagues face in the workplace. One of these is being left out of decision-making processes, even when decisions directly affect their work, schedules or areas of expertise.

According to Sujata, one of the main challenges for women working in Nepal’s development sector is that they are not always treated with the same level of importance and respect as their male colleagues.

“Every NGO has a policy of gender equality,”

she says, before making a grimace and adding,

“But in behaviour, women do not feel like there is.”

Humanitarian and development work can be difficult to leave behind at the end of the working day. There is always more that could be done, and without supportive leadership, this can put considerable pressure on employees.

Sujata knows this pressure well. She is often expected to work long hours, overtime and weekends. For women, this can create an additional burden. Alongside their professional responsibilities, many women are also expected to take care of their children and manage responsibilities within the household.

As Sujata points out, this can give men an advantage in the workplace. Without the same expectations around household and family responsibilities, men may have more freedom to work overtime and take on additional responsibilities.

She also points to a lack of understanding and empathy, emphasising the importance of being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Looking to the Future

Sujata hopes that future generations of girls and women will feel encouraged to pursue education, careers and new opportunities — rather than feeling that their options are limited after completing the 10th grade or choosing “the right guy” to marry.

She hopes women will experience mutual respect, positive communication and supportive working environments. After two and a half years of working with Dalit girls and communities, she is already seeing signs of change. Young girls and mothers are becoming more confident in speaking openly about their needs and expressing how they feel.

For Sujata, this offers hope for future generations.

At the end of our interview, one sentence Sujata said stayed with us and seemed to capture something essential about who she is:

“…I am not a successful woman — I am on my way.”

It is a humble and reflective way of saying that her story did not end when she got married. Her life, like her development as a person, is still unfolding.

We look forward to continuing to follow Sujata’s story. And perhaps her book cover is only the first step towards discovering the empowering story within.

Baner vejen for Dalit-samfundet

En del af Women in development serien

Skrevet af Olivia Vargas Illum & Magnus Gedsø Poulsen

Vi er vokset op med udtrykket: “Man skal ikke dømme en bog på dens omslag.” Men forestil dig at få en forudindtaget forestilling om, hvem du er, og hvilke muligheder du vil have i livet, allerede inden du bliver født.

I Nepal identificerer omkring 81 % af befolkningen sig som hinduer, en religion, der traditionelt er forbundet med kastesystemet. Kastesystemet bygger på en social og religiøs hierarkisk opdeling og er traditionelt opdelt i fire hovedgrupper, kendt som varnaerne: Brahminerne, der traditionelt var præster og lærde; Kshatriyaerne, der traditionelt var konger og krigere; Vaishyaerne, der traditionelt var handelsfolk og erhvervsdrivende; og Shudraerne, der traditionelt var bønder og arbejdere.

Uden for disse fire grupper findes Dalit-samfundet, som historisk er blevet placeret uden for kastesystemet på grund af erhverv, der blev betragtet som rituelt urene. Det førte til, at Dalitter blev betegnet som “urørlige” og udsat for alvorlig diskrimination. Kastesystemet har spillet en betydelig rolle i forhold til at bestemme en persons identitet, sociale status og muligheder i livet. Selvom de fire varnaer er bredt definerede, har grænserne mellem dem historisk været meget faste, hvilket har gjort det ekstremt vanskeligt for mennesker at bryde ud af den sociale position, de er født ind i.

Situationen blev yderligere formaliseret i 1854 under Rana-regimet, da Muluki Ain (den nationale lovbog) blev indført. Lovbogen fastlagde detaljerede regler for adfærd mellem de forskellige kaster og specificerede straffe for dem, der overtrådte dem — man dømte altså bogen, før dens omslag overhovedet var blevet skabt.

En plads ved bordet

I senere år blev Muluki Ain revideret, og diskrimination på baggrund af kaste blev gjort ulovlig i Nepal. Men juridisk beskyttelse er ikke nødvendigvis nok til at fjerne diskrimination fra hverdagen.

Et eksempel på, hvordan man kan skabe større muligheder for Dalitter, findes hos NGO’en CHILDREN-Nepal. Da organisationen skulle ansætte en Programme Coordinator til et program, der støtter Dalit-børn og -familier, søgte de specifikt efter en kandidat fra Dalit-samfundet. Beslutningen havde flere formål: at imødekomme den manglende repræsentation af Dalitter i et program, der arbejder med Dalit-samfund; at skabe tillid ved at have en medarbejder med en fælles baggrund; og at skabe professionelle muligheder for mennesker fra et samfund, der historisk har mødt barrierer i forhold til uddannelse og beskæftigelse.

En af de personer, der fik denne mulighed, er Sujata Gaire.

Sujata har en bachelorgrad i ledelse og arbejdede som revisor i den private sektor i fem år, heraf en del af tiden mens hun stadig studerede. Hun forlod sit job efter at have født sin datter, fordi hun havde brug for seks måneders barsel, mens hendes arbejdsplads kun ville tilbyde hende tre måneder.

På udkig efter nye udfordringer og muligheder faldt hun over et stillingsopslag i en avis. Én detalje fangede straks hendes opmærksomhed: Organisationen søgte specifikt efter en kandidat fra Dalit-samfundet. Hun fandt også ud af, at stillingen handlede om at skabe muligheder for Dalit-piger, hvilket gjorde jobbet endnu mere meningsfuldt for hende.

Selvom organisationen havde åbnet døren for en Dalit-ansøger, krævede det stadig beslutsomhed at komme igennem den. Sujata skulle udfylde en ansøgningsformular, tage en skriftlig eksamen og en computerprøve, til en jobsamtale og gennemføre en skriftlig opgave. Hun kom succesfuldt igennem udvælgelsesprocessen og har nu arbejdet hos CHILDREN-Nepal som Programme Coordinator i Children and Family-sektionen i to et halvt år.

Hendes arbejde består i at støtte marginaliserede børn og familier på tre skoler, hvor hun er ansvarlig for omkring 50 elever. Hun hjælper med at sikre, at de har det godt, får en uddannelse og trives både i skolen og derhjemme. Hun organiserer og faciliterer også lokale programmer med fokus på uddannelse og empowerment for henholdsvis børn og forældre samt skriver rapporter til individuelle sponsorer og til selve projektet.

Et forbillede

Sujata voksede selv op i Dalit-samfundet. Hun fortæller, at hun ikke oplevede de mest ekstreme former for “urørlighed” i sin barndom, og hun betragter sig selv som heldig, fordi hun ikke voksede op i et landområde, hvor kastebaseret diskrimination kan være særligt udbredt.

Hun har dog stadig oplevet diskrimination på grund af sin kaste. Selvom direkte diskrimination på baggrund af kaste er ulovlig i Nepal, forklarer hun, at diskrimination stadig forekommer indirekte.

Hun husker blandt andet, at hun ikke måtte gå ind i køkkenet hos venner fra højere kaster, og at hun blev nægtet muligheden for at leje et hus, fordi hun er Dalit. Disse oplevelser har tydeligvis sat sig spor hos Sujata. Når hun beskriver dem, siger hun blot:

“…it is very disgusting.”

Samtidig har hendes oplevelser styrket hendes beslutsomhed og fået hende til at arbejde endnu hårdere — særligt i arbejdet med Dalit-piger og lokalsamfund. Sujatas baggrund er blevet en af hendes største styrker i arbejdet. Når hun besøger Dalit-samfund, fortæller hun om sin egen historie. Som hun smilende forklarer:

“…they feel so proud of me.”

At se en person fra deres eget samfund lykkes kan inspirere de piger og kvinder, hun arbejder med. Det giver dem følelsen af, at de også kan gøre det — at uddannelse og professionelle muligheder også kan være inden for deres rækkevidde.

Sujata inspirerer ikke kun lokalsamfundet, fordi hun selv er Dalit. Hun skaber også et positivt og trygt miljø, hvor mennesker føler sig sikre nok til at være sårbare og tale åbent.

Og med et glimt i øjet og et smil tilføjer hun: “Ladies love to share things.”

Ikke altid en dans på roser

På trods af sin passion for arbejdet peger Sujata også på flere udfordringer, som hun og hendes kvindelige kolleger møder på arbejdspladsen. En af dem er at blive holdt uden for beslutningsprocesser, selv når beslutningerne direkte påvirker deres arbejde, arbejdstider eller faglige områder.

Ifølge Sujata er en af de største udfordringer for kvinder, der arbejder i Nepals udviklingssektor, at de ikke altid bliver behandlet med samme betydning og respekt som deres mandlige kolleger.

“Every NGO has a policy of gender equality,”

siger hun, før hun laver en grimasse og tilføjer:

“But in behaviour, women do not feel like there is.”

Humanitært arbejde og udviklingsarbejde kan være svært at lægge fra sig, når arbejdsdagen slutter. Der er altid mere, der kunne gøres, og uden støttende ledelse kan det lægge et betydeligt pres på medarbejderne. Sujata kender dette pres. Hun forventes ofte at arbejde lange dage, overarbejde og i weekenderne.

For kvinder kan det skabe en ekstra byrde. Ud over deres professionelle ansvar forventes mange kvinder også at tage sig af deres børn og varetage ansvaret i hjemmet.

Som Sujata påpeger, kan det give mænd en fordel på arbejdspladsen. Når de ikke mødes af de samme forventninger om ansvar for hjem og familie, kan mænd have større frihed til at arbejde over og påtage sig ekstra ansvar. Hun peger også på en mangel på forståelse og empati og understreger vigtigheden af at kunne sætte sig i andres sted.

Et blik mod fremtiden

Sujata håber, at fremtidige generationer af piger og kvinder vil føle sig opmuntret til at tage en uddannelse, få en karriere og gribe nye muligheder — frem for at føle, at deres muligheder er begrænsede, når de har afsluttet 10. klasse eller fundet “den rigtige mand” at gifte sig med.

Hun håber, at kvinder vil opleve gensidig respekt, positiv kommunikation og støttende arbejdsmiljøer.

Efter to et halvt år med arbejde blandt Dalit-piger og lokalsamfund ser hun allerede tegn på forandring. Unge piger og mødre bliver mere sikre på at tale åbent om deres behov og give udtryk for, hvordan de har det. For Sujata giver det håb for de kommende generationer.

I slutningen af vores interview var der én sætning, som Sujata sagde, der blev hængende hos os, og som syntes at indfange noget helt centralt ved, hvem hun er: