Kathmandu, July 18: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has recommended the government to formulate and implement an integrated action plan for the protection, advancement, empowerment and development of citizens of the Kusunda and other endangered communities in the country.
In the ‘Study Report on the Human Rights Situation of Kusunda Community, 2083’ prepared by the Commission, the federal government has been recommended to develop integrated settlements with their free, prior and informed consent.
The Commission has separately recommended the federal, provincial and local governments to protect the language and culture of the Kasunda community and to make policy, legal and structural reforms in the areas of education, health, vocational and skill-based training, and employment.
The tenure and ownership of the houses and land traditionally used by the Kusunda community needs to be recognized, their language preserved, and efforts to promote and protect culture strengthened.
The Kusunda community is a minority and endangered indigenous group of people living in some districts of Lumbini, Bagmati, Karnali and Gandaki provinces. According to the National Census 2078, the number of Kusunda in Nepal is 253, including 115 males and 138 females.
The NHRC report states that the Kusunda, who consider themselves the kings of the forest, are increasingly abandoning their nomadic lifestyle and adopting a modern lifestyle. It also points out that their identity, language and culture are in a critical state.