Officials in Nepal's far west are destroying freed bonded labourers' homes, allocating them land that is already occupied and following a divide and rule policy.

The Kailali district government's recent acts of forced resettlement demonstrates its total lack of concern for some 2,000 former bonded labourers and their families. It is making them to move to land that is already occupied, in some cases by other kamaiya (agricultural bonded labourers). In one example, the authorities registered the local secondary school in kamaiyas' names - an area they clearly cannot settle. In another, the land that the authorities are transferring to the freed bonded labourers is sandy riverbank, which cannot be cultivated. And, on 6 December, officials destroyed a number of huts belonging to kamaiya, forcing them to live in the open, local organisation Backward Society Education (BASE) said.

Since the Government on 17 July 2000 declared that bonded labour was illegal, Nepal's freed bonded labourers have been living in makeshift camps where they are vulnerable to disease and hunger. In some cases, driven by desperation, some seized unsettled land. Despite the Government's promise of land distribution last year, hardly any has been allocated. The authorities' latest move is shockingly ineffective and divisive.

The former bonded labourers' plight is exacerbated by the Government's recently declared state of emergency. On 26 November, following renewed violence from Maoists, it suspended constitutional freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and freedom to move throughout the Kingdom and reside in any part of it. As a result, kamaiya are afraid that if they resist the relocation, they will be arrested or killed.

Anti-Slavery urges the Government of Nepal to stop local officials and others in the local ruling class from harassing kamaiya and protect them and their property from violence. Furthermore, it must carry out land redistribution, ensuring that each household is granted at least 10 katha (0.4 hectares) of land.

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