By Mukunda Subedi, Bardiya, Aug. 30: Wives of those who were made to disappear have become ever more victims as the state has continued to ignore settling painful events of the conflict period.

Most of the women who lost their husbands in the armed conflict are now doubly victimised from their families and society. They also complain of injustice, neglect and disrespect as meted out to them from the state.

The women whose husbands have been made to disappear are pressed to perform the last rites by the family and society and they are isolated by the family and community for rejecting to perform the last rites.

The women whose husbands' whereabouts are still unknown have not only got any justice, they have been left lonely with deteriorating social and familial relations. Such women have been enduring all the pains despite family pressures and neglect.

Jayanti Shahi, 46, from Sutaiya, Thakurbaba Municipality-8, Bardiya is one of the representatives of such cases.  She is waiting for her husband to return home for over 18 years.

The whereabouts of her husband, Hukum Bahadur Shahi, who is believed to have been taken away by the army since April, 6, 2002 is still unknown. There is a deep pain in her due to husband's disappearance, but the constant pressure of the family to perform the last funeral rite has added to her agony.

Jayanti said, "I have been bearing pressure and allegation from the family saying that I am  not performing the last funeral rites despite of receiving the relief package from the government."

Now the government has to either show my husband or ask me to perform death rites.  The family has been pressurizing her to perform the death rites saying that her husband cannot return alive as it has been almost 20 years of his disappearance, she added.

There is another victim of the similar case, Beli Tharu, 38, from Mahuwa, Rajapur Municipality-6, whose husband, Phaklu Tharu was taken away on October 24, 2002 by a team of Nepali Army while he was returning home from a nearby market.

Her eyes have been wet all the time since her husband was made to disappear. She still hopes her husband will return one day. But, She is preparing for the death rites of her husband due to constant pressure from the family members.  

Beli Tharu, said, "I am being forced to perform the funeral rite due to the  pressure from the family and society as the government has also not provided with any information.”

Likewise, Dhamu Chaudhary, 44, from Bagahana, Thakurbaba Municipaliy-4, is also the victim whose husband, Dhamu Chaudahary, has been made to disappearance since April 10, 2002. He was taken away by the army while he was sleeping. Since the disappearance of her husband, her family and social life has become very difficult.

For partition of parental property in the family, they asked me death certificate. I went to the Ward office, and it asked me to bring recommendation from the District Administration Office, which in turn said there had been no decision in this regard. Now, where I should go?" asked Dhamu Chaudhary.  

Dhamu said,” Neither we got justice nor respect. There is no value of our pain.”

Bhagi Ram Chaudhary, Chairperson of the Committee of the Conflict Victim, said, "The government has not been able to address the issues of the disappeared persons in a fair manner. Not a single effective action for the search of those made to disappear has been taken by the state despite signing of the comprehensive peace accord over a decade ago."

The situation of the family remains the same irrespective of the changes in rulers, parties and government, he added.

Bardiya district witnessed the highest number of disappearances during the armed conflict. According to INSEC, an organization working in the field of human rights, 223 people were made to disappear at the hand of government security forces from Bardiya district. A complaint has been lodged with the Commission for Investigation of Disappeared Persons to search for 266 disappeared persons from Bardiya district alone.