Nepal’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to ensure basic health care and education for virgin girls worshipped as “living goddesses” in a centuries-old tradition in the Himalayan nation.
A few children, some as young as three or four, in the Kathmandu valley are picked by Buddhist priests as kumari, or “living goddesses.”
They are then confined to temples until puberty, visited by thousands of devotees.
Critics say the tradition violates the children’s rights and leaves them unprepared to face real life when they return to their families after reaching puberty.
“There is no historic and religious document that says kumari should be denied their child rights guaranteed in the [UN] Convention on the Rights of the Child,” the Kathmandu Post newspaper quoted the Supreme Court decision as saying.
The kumari are part of the culture of the ethnic Newar community, which live in and around the Kathmandu Valley.
“There should be no bar on kumari from going to school and enjoying health-related rights,” the Supreme Court said. “The Kumaris should not be treated as bonded laborers, and restrictions on free movement should not be imposed.”
The court also ordered the government to ensure social security for the former goddesses, who are usually “retired” at puberty.
Three years ago, child rights activists challenged the practice of choosing kumari, saying it infringed on the rights of a child to go to school or play with other children while they assumed the role of living goddesses.
Last year, one of the kumari of the Kathmandu Valley was sacked and replaced by another girl after she traveled to the US to promote a documentary on her life.
“A directive order has been issued to the government to provide basic human rights, including education and health [care] to the child,” Supreme Court spokesman Hemanta Rawal said yesterday.
“This means the child’s rights can’t be violated in the name of culture,” he said. The ruling was made on Monday, he said.
Nepal this year became a republic after lawmakers abolished the Himalayan nation’s centuries-old monarchy. Many cultural traditions are being changed or challenged as modernity gradually arrives in one of the world’s poorest countries.
A former Maoist rebel leader was sworn in as Nepal’s first prime minister on Monday.
The court has ordered the government to submit a detailed report within one year about the reforms and facilities provided to former kumari, as well as existing ones.
Even some Nepali Hindus worship the kumari, who is considered an embodiment of Taleju Bhavani, the goddess of strength.
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