Written by: Bipana Shrestha - 24002, Grade X
Posted on: 17 January, 2022
Previously there were only a few influential women in Nepal but now it is totally different as many women have stepped forward and done remarkable things all over the world. Among all the incredible women out there in Nepal, Uma Devi Badi is also one of them. Uma Devi Badi is a human rights activist and also a leader. She was born in 1965 in Salyan district of Nepal. She started her career as a sex worker at a very young age as that was the only profession available to women of the Badi caste at that time. When she was 21 years old she got married to a boy named Prem Bhatta, a Brahmin. Their inter-caste marriage caused a big controversy at that time because the Badi caste was considered one of Nepal's lowest castes. Uma Devi is a single mother but she raised two of her sister's sons as her own.
Ever since she was a child she had to face many obstacles in her life. She had gone through many problems. She was treated unfairly and discriminated against as she was a sex woker and also because she had married Prem Bhatta who was a Brahmin. But she had been working to change society. So she decided not to follow society's expectations for women of her caste, and instead, eventually, quit life as a sex worker and started working for a better future for her and also her society. At the age of 40, She became head of the local Community Support Group and opened a hostel for 25 Badi boys and girls in Tikapur. The children were kept there and taken to the local school, where they would receive extra help for their studies. The success of this project had led to the establishment of an even bigger project that would eventually help around 100 kids. In 2004 when the protesters' demands were ignored she removed her upper part clothes and hung them at the entrance of Singha Durbar, the seat of government. And then the government agreed to work with her.
After seeing her many women followed her. Women saw her as an example and spoke up for themselves and for their rights. In her village women were forced to work as sex workers because they had no other choice. There was no other job for women except dancing and performing at festivals and programs. In her village, they were not even given basic rights. But she wanted to change the system. She wanted people to know that women are strong and need to be treated equally. That's why she worked hard and worked to end untouchability and prostitution. Uma Devi Badi has earned admiration for her persistent hard work and continuous dedication to the country's betterment.
