Unity made the difference

Purna Devi Sunar was attacked in the forest by two men. With support from the Dalit Welfare Organisation women’s group she got justice.

By Malene Lærke

05. March 2007

Two years ago in 2004 it was Purna Devi Sunar turn to be watch man in the local community forest. She was supposed to do it together with two friends but this day they could not come. She had been in the forest for a few hours when an influential person in the community approached her.

“He had drunk a lot and he said a lot of rude words to me and wanted to become friendly with me. I knew what he wanted to do but I am a strong woman and I was able to fight against him. He pulled my hair so that tufts were torn from my scalp, he was scratching, he tore open my blouse and then he was beating me with a stick. I tried to escape but it was not possible for me. Afterwards my whole body was aching,” recalls Purna Devi Sunar.

When she came home from the forest she told her husband about the incident and he immediately told her that she should get justice. Purna Devi Sunar reported the incident to the Forestry Committee but she was threatened and the chairman told her she should keep her mouth shout. She also went to the police but there was no help to get.

“That is because I am a Dalit woman. Nobody cares about me,” she explains.

Purna Devi Sunar is the chairperson of the New Creation Savings Dalit Women’s Group in Bansgadhi, ward no. 8 in Motipur in Bardiya district. After she had been to the police she contacted the other 25 members of the group and told them about the incident. Together they all went to the concerned authorities but still no one wanted to help Purna Devi Sunar to get justice. The women decided to hold a mass meeting the next day to force the man to walk forward and take the punishment for his actions.

The next day at the mass meeting hundreds of people was gathered in Bansgadhi to hear about the incident and the testimonies from the two parties involved. The accused man however did not turn up until several messages had been sent to him.

“Our stand was that the man had to come to the mass meeting and touch her feet, give her an apology and pay compensation for what had happened,” tells Heera B.K., member of the group.

“When he did come he gave me an apology and paid 200 rupees for the medical expenses,” says Purna Devi Sunar that feels she has gotten justice even though the man did not have to serve time in prison.

“I have understood that if injustice happens and we are in a group we can uplift our voice and no one can harm us,” she states firmly.

When the women are asked if they had this unity before the group was established the women say no and tells that before the group they were alone and scattered in the community and did not care about each other.

“Before, when someone was suffering, no one was concerned. It only happened to that person and had nothing to do with me or other people. Slowly we have begun to learn that we should be cooperative and we have understood the value of unity,” tells Purna Devi Sunar.

“If something is happening against one of us we now jump jointly and we come in a flock. We stand against any action and therefore in the minds of Dalits the thought is growing that we are not going to bear the discrimination any longer. The rich and high people will come to learn to respect us,” says Jana Devi Nepali.

One of the women begins to tell a story that happened six year ago to show how things are changing in the community:

There was a high person in the community that had a cow. The cow hit the wife of the high person in the face with one of its horns. She fell to the ground and she started bleeding and there was no one to help her. She shouted in the hope that someone would come and help her. A Dalit woman passed by and saw that the woman was in pain. She brought water and cloths and started washing the women and dressed the wounds and her life was saved. When the husband heard about the story and he was told who helped his wife he said to the woman: “Why did you help and touch my wife. It would have been better if you had let her die.” That was the thanks that the Dalit woman got.

Today the women think and hope that with their newfound unity can change eradicate the discrimination in the community.

“When we started this group our dream was to uplift our future and to be independent. We are also human beings and part of this community and we have rights in this country. We had the dream that we would be able to get justice so that no one can discriminate us. That dream is coming true,” says Manju Nepali.