IHS Grant Fund Success Stories: HUMAN

HUMAN: Taking Humanism to the Top of the World

Nepal's transfer of power from a monarchy to a parliament in 2006 marks indisputable progress toward the establishment of basic human rights in the country.

Until recently, inhumane practices such as severe discrimination against women (including witch hunts, the practice of dowry and the dehumanizing worship of prepubescent girls or kumaris) flourished as superstition and ignorance thrived while the government turned a blind-eye. These problems are deep-rooted in society: for generations, Hindu moral codes have dictated women's status as merely the child-bearing property of men.

Founded in 1999, the Humanist Association of Nepal's (HUMAN's) objective is to provide the Nepalese population with humanist education aimed at dispelling the myths behind the discrimination.

In 2002, HUMAN embarked on the "Empowering Women's Social Statues through Humanist Education" campaign. With an $8,000 grant from the IHS Grant Fund, the group successfully promoted women's rights and individuality through the distribution of educational pamphlets as well as the creation of women's support groups and scientific campaign seminars for the Nepalese public.

The Institute for Humanist Studies awarded another $8,000 grant to HUMAN in 2003 in order to combat the violent discrimination against women labeled as "witches." A 1998 HUMAN survey estimated that 20 Nepalese women per day were victimized as a result of these superstitions, with social isolation, torture and death as the typical outcome. HUMAN used the grant from IHS to create "relief packages" for victims that included physical and psychological medical exams, an introduction to humanist education and cash relief to help them to reestablish themselves in the community.

In 2004 and 2005, HUMAN aimed more generally to strengthen humanism in Nepal, aided by a substantial $30,000 grant from the IHS. This money was used to establish a HUMAN office building, create humanist training seminars and workshops for both adults and youth, publish humanist literature and promote conflict management against Maoist and state violence.

HUMAN's efforts have had an extraordinary impact on Nepalese society. Because of HUMAN lobbying and advocacy, the Nepalese government has issued "10-Point Directives" to the country's districts to target those who promote harmful superstition and paranormal practices. HUMAN's networking with other human rights groups has increased awareness of Nepal's issues on a global scale.

Larry Jones, president of the Institute for Humanist Studies, who recently visited Nepal and observed HUMAN's impact first-hand, was impressed. "They had a very active student branch, and the women's branch was also very active," he said.

In the face of adversity and hardship, HUMAN has indeed had a great impact on Nepal. In a recent visit to the Institute for Humanist Studies, Dr. Gopi Upreti of HUMAN spoke about the organization's ever-present challenges: "When you oppose, when you raise your voice against those inhuman, superstitious activities, then you are basically targeted against (by) the… very dominant culture of the society," he said.

"I want to express my gratitude to the IHS and to Larry, the president of the organization, who has generously supported us in a difficult time. We didn't have any support from any other sources, except the IHS fund."