Dispatches: Report from the People's War in Nepal
Part 14: Women Warriers
By Li Onesto
Revolutionary Worker #1032, November 28, 1999
On February 13, 1996, a new People's War was launched in Nepal, led by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), aimed at sweeping away imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. Thousands of men and women participated in coordinated armed raids and attacks throughout the country. And for over three years now, the revolution in Nepal has continued to spread, sink roots and accomplish a lot. All this is a truly inspiring and significant development in the world and for the international proletariat. But it has remained a hidden story for most people in the United States and around the world. And for those of us who have been following the People's War in Nepal, there has been precious, but far too little news of this important struggle.
Now, the Revolutionary Worker has an exclusive story. RW reporter Li Onesto recently returned from several months in Nepal, where she traveled throughout the country with the people's army, meeting and talking with party leaders, guerrillas, activists in mass organizations and villagers--those waging this genuine Maoist People's War and beginning to exercise new people's power. The RW would like to give a "lal Salaam" (red salute) to all the people in Nepal who made this trip possible.
This is the fourteenth article of a new series of dispatches from this exciting trip. (See RW #1014 through #1020, #1022-1024 and #1027-1029 for Parts 1 through 13.)
When we crossed into Rukum I was sad to say good-bye to Rachana. She had been constantly with me as my aide when we traveled through Rolpa. In the dark of night her outstretched hands had pulled me up the steepest parts of the mountains and steadied me when I teetered, crossing dangerous ravines.
Like most guerrillas in the people's army, Rachana is young and from a peasant background. She is strong and dedicated to the revolutionary cause. For long days and nights she treks up and down the mountains, as quick and sure-footed as the men in the squad. She carries heavy loads, along with her rifle.
One day I asked Rachana if she would tell me about her life. At first, she hesitated--surprised that I wanted to interview her. Then she said, "OK, but let's do it later, after dinner. First, I want to think about what I want to say." As it turned out, it was a couple of days later--when we reached the border where we had to say farewell--that we found an opportunity to sit down and talk. Rachana had seen me interview important party leaders and military commanders and now looked eager and excited to be the one to have her words written down in my notebook. When I asked her to tell me something about her family and what it was like to grow up as a woman in her village, she said:
"There are 11 members in my family--my mother, father, three brothers, two sisters, my brother's wife and three of my cousins. I am the oldest daughter, 18 years old, and I come from a peasant family in Rolpa. My mother and father allowed my three brothers to go to school but would not let me. They told me it is worthless for a daughter to study because she will just get married and move into another household. At the time, this made me feel very sad. When a six-month adult education class opened in the village, I went to go learn to read and write. But when I did this, my father would always tell me not to go and he would order me to go to the forest instead, to cut grass and collect firewood."
Rachana went on to describe how she came to join the people's army:
"Before the initiation of the People's War I did not know anything about politics or parties. But after the initiation one of my relatives suggested that I take part in the local cultural group and asked me to go to their rehearsal. I didn't tell my mother or father about this--I only told my older brother who said, `Go ahead, if you want to die... Can you carry a gun on your shoulder?' I replied, `You didn't give me a chance to study and now I am eager to solve the problems of the people and the nation. I want to fight for liberation. If you won't allow me to go I will rebel.'
"One of the local party comrades came to talk to my family and he came over several times to discuss revolutionary politics and the People's War. One year ago, after many discussions, my father and mother happily allowed me to join the party. I started working in the women's organization and was in the women's militia. Then, eight months ago, I was promoted to be in this squad. I am optimistic about the People's War.
"Now all the members of my family are clear on the politics of the People's War. All of them are in mass organizations and my younger 15-year-old sister is going to school. She has passed class six and is teaching other people to read. When I was taking the adult education class I never had time to study. But in the people's army I have time to study reading and writing and the other comrades help me. I can read newspapers and write letters now.
"I was eager to work in the party before. But then after joining the squad I was involved in an encounter and became even more committed. There were 14 of us comrades going from one place to another and the police ambushed us. One of our comrades was killed and now I have a strong commitment to get revenge. I will fight against the enemy as long as there is a drop of blood left in my body. I am very happy now and we will certainly achieve our goal.
"On the third anniversary of the People's War I took part in an action at the police post in Jugar in Rolpa. Our goal was to really frighten the police and kill the sentry. When we fired at the police they ran to the forest to save themselves. Another incident happened in which four of us in the squad were working in the village. There were 29 police in the village, but when they saw us they ran away."
Feudalism and Inequality
Rachana's description of how she was denied an education is very typical of the way women are treated in Nepal. Under feudalism a daughter is "useful" and "valuable" in her childhood years, when she can do chores and serve the household. But according to such feudal thinking, it is not worth it to "invest" in a girl by giving her an education because she will just end up marrying and going off to live in--and serve--another household.
In the countryside in Nepal, there is a saying: "To get a girl is like watering a neighbor's tree. You have the trouble and expense of nurturing the plant but the fruits are taken by somebody else." I did meet a number of women who had been allowed to go to school, at least up until high school. But when I visited colleges in the cities, almost all of the students were men.
One afternoon, I watched Rachana studying, practicing her reading and writing, her eyes stuck to a dog-eared page in deep concentration. I thought about how this extraordinary scene is being created in guerrilla zones across Nepal. Young peasant women--illiterate, facing nothing but a back-breaking future--leaving their villages, taking up arms, learning to read and write and studying the political and theoretical questions of the revolution they are fighting. This is something that can bring tears to your eyes. But even more, it gives you a lot of confidence in the ability of this People's War to persevere and win.
I met many other women like Rachana--women who grew up angry about the way feudal society oppresses women and jumped at the chance to join the people's army. In fact, one of the things I have found most exciting about this People's War is the participation of women.
Everywhere I go, I see, hear and feel the enthusiasm the women have for this revolution. I see it in the eyes of the old women who have suffered many years under the thumb of feudal relations--who now hold their heads high and envision a whole new kind of society. I hear it in the words of young women who never went to school--who excitedly tell me how it felt the first time they carried out an armed action against the enemy. I feel it in the determination and undaunted spirit of the women who have lost husbands, sons and daughters--but continue to shelter and aid the guerrillas, at the risk of their own lives.
The fight against the oppression of women is woven into the fabric of this People's War. When the armed struggle started in 1996, it was like the opening of a prison gate--with thousands of women rushing forward to claim an equal place in the war. Some had to defy fathers and brothers. Some had to leave backward-thinking husbands. Others ran away from arranged marriages where parents had decided their fate. They all had to rebel against feudal traditions that treat women as inferior, that make women feel like their ideas don't matter.
In Kathmandu I had the opportunity to interview Rekha Sharm, the President of the All Nepal Women's Association (Revolutionary) who talked with me about women's oppression in Nepal. She said:
"In the rural areas women are oppressed by the family, mother-in-law, husband--and some women are killed because of dowries. This problem exists all over the country in the city and countryside. The thinking in society is that women are brought into the home to serve the husband and to have children--that this is what they're good for. To solve these kinds of problems we try to educate women, to show that it's not because of their mother-in-law, husband, etc., but that it is the social structure that is protected by the state and that we need complete change, revolution. We educate women to this fact."
Rekha also told me about the widespread trafficking of women. Every year, 5,000 to 7,000 females between the age of 10 and 18 are "exported" to India, then forced to work as prostitutes. These young women are literally sold for the price of cows and goats by their own fathers, brothers and uncles. Sometimes they are tricked into going with the promise of a "good job."
Estimates of the number of girls and women working in India as prostitutes range from 40,000 to 200,000. And Nepalese women are also kidnapped and taken to countries in the Gulf area to work in brothels. Every year, hundreds of women return to Nepal after being forced into prostitution in another country and many of them come back HIV-positive.
Early marriage, early pregnancy, and multiple pregnancies take a toll on the mental and physical health of women. And there is a lot of pressure for a woman to produce a son to inherit the family's property--even if this endangers her health. In fact, Nepal has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world--875 per 100,000. Also, women who do not produce sons are frequently abandoned, socially ostracized--or their husbands take a second wife.
Women in Nepal also face extremely oppressive anti-abortion laws. It is illegal to have an abortion here--abortion is classified as homicide and is punishable by law even if the pregnancy is a threat to the woman's health or life or the result of rape or incest. Many women are in prison--serving long sentences, as much as 20 years--for having an abortion. These strict anti-abortion laws have also given rise to illegal, unsafe and induced abortions which, according to news reports in Nepal, account for more than half of the country's maternal deaths. One newspaper article I read talked about a doctor who recently toured hospitals throughout Nepal. He discovered that huge numbers of women were in the hospital because of complications related to illegal abortions. In the Maternal Hospital in Kathmandu, 61 percent of gyne-obstretic cases he observed were abortion-related.
New Relations
The most simple and routine parts of the day here in the countryside have been changed by the People's War--especially when it comes to the division of labor between men and women. In feudal society, women are oppressed by prescribed roles that keep them in a subordinate position--taking care of children, cooking, washing clothes, etc. But the revolution has begun to change all this. For example, it was very common, as we traveled, for the men in the squad to do a lot of the day-to-day cooking.
Hours of hiking really builds up everyone's appetite and, for me, the meals always have a particularly good flavor when cooked by the men. Sometimes we get to a village and right away, men from the squad start gathering firewood and preparing the meal. And when we sit down to eat they serve the food and then wash the dishes after we finish. Sometimes women in the squad and women in the village will be sitting around doing something else while all this is going on. And as I observe all this, I think about just how unusual and radical this scene is in Nepal. One woman comrade told me:
"There have been many changes in people's thinking since the initiation. Fathers and brothers are now involved in things like cooking, getting water, washing dishes. There is also a change in the women's thinking. Before, women were not permitted to do things like make the roof of the house or plow the fields. But now where the People's War is going on, it is easy for women to do this. Before women didn't make baskets and mats, according to tradition. And women used to think they weren't good enough to do this work. But when we dared to do this work it was easy. So if we dare we can do anything--there's no distinction between men and women. There are two changes [with regard to the roles of women]--ideologically and in practice.
"There are two things that have led to women doing men's work. First there is compulsion--some of the men have to go underground and so then the women have to plow the fields, make roofs and do other `men's work.' For example, in my father's village all the men had to leave because of the police. The police raided and looted things like food, grain, and ghee (cooking butter). So the women started to plow the land and make house roofs. The second thing is women becoming ideologically convinced to do such work.
"Before the initiation few women dared to do men's work, but after initiation there is no type of work women don't dare do. Also, men can do any type of women's work and they don't hesitate to do this. Before the initiation the men didn't think this way, but with the initiation their ideology changed."
I also notice other ways that the People's War is changing the way men and women relate to each other. For example, one of the things I really like about living and traveling with the people's army is the completely relaxed way women and men act around each other. There is no "sexual tension" and I always feel very safe. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation, like out in a cow shed, or on the floor of a peasant's home, where we all have to sleep together like sardines in a can. But I never feel uncomfortable in these situations because I know that the guerrillas and party members I'm traveling with look at the women comrades as equal partners in the revolutionary struggle--not as sexual objects.
In all the guerrilla zones I visit, it seems that the women still have primary responsibility for taking care of the children. But this is starting to change slowly. I have met many women comrades with small children, and other people are always taking turns caring for the children--in the "revolutionary community," everyone is considered an "auntie" and "uncle" to the kid. There is not yet organized collective childcare. But several comrades told me they are trying to figure out how to set this up--which would really allow women to play a bigger revolutionary role. And I think as the revolution advances and base areas are formed, it will be easier to organize and maintain things like collective childcare. At this point, most of the full-time revolutionary women have to take their infant babies with them wherever they go. They do this while the baby is nursing and then when the child gets older, they find a relative to take care of the kid.
Picking Up the Gun
For many women, the People's War offers an immediate escape from an oppressive situation where they can't go to school, may be forced into an arranged marriage and are expected to spend the rest of their lives devoted to husbands, in-laws and children. The People's War has given a new life to many women who have been abandoned by their husbands, women who have been socially shunned because they were raped, or women whose family could not afford to pay a dowry for them to get married. The revolutionary women I meet feel strongly that the present government will not and cannot do anything about the inequality women face. And they are inspired by the revolution's vision of a society in which women can participate equally in all aspects of life--especially in the struggle to make revolution and transform the world.
One woman organizer in Rukum told me, "There are various reasons why I became a revolutionary. First there is inequality between sons and daughters--like in terms of property, daughters have no rights. Women get neglected compared to men, by parents, husbands, and other family members. Nepalese women are suppressed by the feudalistic system and some women go to India to become prostitutes. This women's oppression is the main reason why I was inspired to become a revolutionary."
I also heard stories of the obstacles women came up against when they wanted to join the revolution. One leader in the revolutionary women's organization told me: "My father's brother was the head of our household and at first, he wouldn't give me permission to join the women's organization. I rebelled against this and for six months I lived somewhere else. When I went back to the house the family members would not accept me because of what I was doing. The women's organization, including me, went to my uncle and tried to convince him, talking to him about women's rights, and we did this many times. He did not speak out against the women's organization but he still didn't want me to participate. He wanted me to stay home and do all the work in the house."
Another woman in Rolpa said: "At a young age my family arranged a marriage for me. I went to live in my husband's family house when I was 15 and lived there for eight years. My husband was one to two years younger than me but after two years he was sent to India to work and he didn't come back. I went with my brother to India to try and find him and we brought him back. But then, within one month, he went back to India and never returned. I am 27 now. Two years ago I left my first husband's house and married my second husband--a love marriage, not arranged. When we got married he was a squad member and he is now a platoon member. In the war period it is easier not to have children, especially for full-timers. And even after the revolution it will be better to have fewer children than more."
In Rukum I talked with the Chairman of the District Committee of the women's organization. She is a Party District Committee member and her husband has been in jail for the last two years. She told me:
"After the initiation more and more women became involved in armed struggle, in volunteer groups, militias and squads. In this area, there are eight women militias with five to seven members and there are also women in militias made up of both men and women. Women are involved at different levels of the party, up to district party committee members. In the whole district there are about 500 local committees of the women's organization, eight area committees and one district committee. And they are all active and they participate in the revolutionary united front."
The people's army has a policy that each guerrilla squad (which consists of 9 to 11 members) must recruit at least two women. Women guerrillas work as combatants, do propaganda and farm the land. Women not directly involved in fighting work as organizers, propagandists, cultural activists, and nurses. They do logistics, spy on the enemy, provide shelter for party cadres and guerrillas, and visit families of martyrs and those in jail.
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I am constantly impressed by the way women in Nepal have so eagerly, in their words, "picked up the gun." And when I think about how these women grew up, suppressed by all kinds of feudal traditions, I realize what a tremendously brave thing it is for these women to step forward--often in defiance of their families--to join the people's army and the party. The sight of young peasant women proudly carrying rifles, khukuri knives and grenades is one of the strongest images I carry with me as I travel through these guerrilla zones.
To be continued.
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