Humanist
Association of Nepal (HUMAN)
The Humanist Association
of Nepal (HUMAN) aims to spread humanist values, principles and
ideals through secular humanist education campaign activities. One
of major focal points of HUMAN activities, is its fight against
superstitious and para-normal practices, dogmatic and fundamentalist
forces prevalent in contemporary Nepali society.
HUMAN upholds and promotes scientific rationality, human dignity
and freedom through secular democracy. HUMAN has carried out rights-based
advocacy and action researches on superstitious and paranormal practices
and victims of social evils emanated from such practices in Nepali
society. HUMAN was established in 1997.
Major Activities
The
major activities carried out by HUMAN include:
- researches
in the Kumari cult (child dehumanizing cult),
- dowry
system, empowerment of women through humanist education campaign,
- women
and reproductive health, research
on women's health,
- empowerment
of socio-economically marginalized Satar community,
- introducing
humanist education to the schools,
- and
the launching awareness raising and legal campaign against alleged
witchcraft practices and untouchability, supernatural practices
including paranormal healers and doctors widely prevalent in the
Nepalese society.
HUMAN
has formed a broad coalition with human rights organisations in
the country and has participated in the joint campaign against human
rights abuses by both the Maoist insurgents and the government and
other fundamentalist and communal forces.
Religion and Superstition in Nepal
Nepal is the only Hindu State in the World. Superstitious practices
and orthodox belief system have dominated the socio-cultural lives
of the people from time immemorial. Witch-hunting, shamanic practices,
paranormal doctors, divine healers and God-men claims are the commonplace
phenomenon not only in the illiterate and ignorant rural communities
but also in the urban centers of Nepal. Psychologically, it is the
fear of unknown that is the driving force behind all kinds of superstitions.
There are two fundamental elements that constitute the superstitious
belief: fear and irrationality in the mindset of the gullible ordinary
people upon which the so called healers and the God-men claimers
and the witch-hunters capitalize. It allows them to systematically
induce the irrational and grotesque practices which, in turn, earn
them money and social prestige. Large number of women and men of
socially repressed and marginalized castes and class have been the
victims.They will continue to become the victims of such irrational
practices unless strong humanist educational and awareness raising
activities are initiated in the areas where such practices are prevalent.
Humanism and Youth
The fundamental premises of Humanism holds that scientific rationality,
reason, and the use of human intellect together with compassion,
love, cooperation and wisdom are the basis for the moral and social
development of the individual and the community.
Humanism holds that theistic and dogmatic believes and religious
fundamentalism, in contrast, not only suppress the natural, moral
and the social development of individuals and communities, but also
make them gullible and susceptible to the irrational social practices
including grotesque superstition of various forms. This is a process
of dehumanization.
The
school children and youth can play a tremendous positive role in
disseminating a humanist and scientific attitude in the family and
the community. Thereby gradually reducing the environmental and
mental spaces for the origin of irrational and superstitious practices.
Youth, if mobilized with proper humanist orientation, can do a great
service to their families, communities and themselves in spreading
a humanist worldview and in improving human conditions.
It is with this realization of the tremendous potential of youth,
that HUMAN has established a youth wing to organise and facilitate
the creative energy of youth in Nepal.
Youth Wing of HUMAN
HUMAN constituted a youth wing with a committee in 2002. Most of
the members are college and school students. The committee consists
of 13 members and is coordinated by Mr. Laxmi Prasad Bhattrai.
The
process of setting up a youth wing within HUMAN goes by different
phases.
In this first phase, the youth wing of HUMAN is planning to work
for membership development with developing local groups. The humanist
leaders and thinkers educate the new members with humanist values,
attitude and outlooks through a series of lectures, talk programs,
workshop and seminar. The youth wing is also planning to publish
educational material for youth.
In the second phase, HUMAN intends to inject humanist education
curricula in the school and colleges. Humanist education material
are prepared and distributed to the village and rural youths.
Activities Youth Wing
Members
meet informally once every forth-night to discuss problems and plan
the action activities. Such activities generally include debate
and discussion on various aspects of religion like superstitious
and paranormal practices, social evils and the scientific methods
and philosophy.
Another
set of activities include the campaign against superstitious and
paranormal practices that victimize the large number of illiterate
and ignorant people. This is primarily an awareness raising campaign
in which youth meet the village elders to discuss the cases and
the events.
Future Activities
The
establishment of humanist youth groups in communities, school and
universities to disseminate the humanist philosophy will be the
most crucial and the fundamental concern of HUMAN's youth wing at
present. For the future the youth of HUMAN plans to expand its scope
of activities and focuspoints.
The Youth of HUMAN would like to appeal to all Humanist organisations,
friends and young humanists to help us in our goals and objectives.
Contact
HUMAN
Address:
P.O. Box 5284, Kathmandu, Nepal,
Contact by e-mail:
human@ntc.net.np (Mr. Ganga
Prasad Subedi) and gopi48@ntc.net.np
(Dr. Gopi Upreti).
Contact person youth wing:
Mr.
Laxmi Prasad Bhattrai, naecan@vishnu.ccsl.com.np.
@Written by Ganga
and Tika Prasad Subedi
Involvement in IHEYO
HUMAN is a member organisation of IHEU (IHEYO is the youth section
of IHEU).
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Sanjivani_Nepal Youth Forum
Snajivani Nepal
Sanjivani Nepal, a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit
making organization was established by a group of dynamic youths
in 2003. It was registered in the local authority (Kathmandu) of
His Majesty's Government, Nepal under Social Organization Registration
Act (SORA) 1976. Bylaws it has received permission to run programmes
like health, information/communication, human rights, social justice,
women and youth empowerment and child welfare throughout the kingdom.
Sanjivani
Nepal has three branches to run different programmes in accordance
with its bylaws. Teams of experts and professionals run all three
programmes.
·
Sanjivani Nepal (Youth Forum for Humanism and Ethics)
· Sanjivani Nepal (Center for Public Health Concern)
· Sanjivani Nepal (Media Forum for Peace and Development)
Sanjivani Nepal Youth Forum
The
forum was established in March 2004 in the active participation
of youth (16-35 years) working in different areas of life like media,
human right and students. The mission of Sanjivani Nepal (Youth
Forum for Humanism and Ethics) is to promote greater public awareness,
understanding and support for humanism under the guidance of International
Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) Amsterdam declaration 2002.
Membership Youth Forum
Any
person 16 to 35 years old, possessing strong belief in humanism,
and ethics is eligible to apply for the membership of the forum.
Membership distribution is carried out on each March during its
Annual meeting.
Activities Youth Forum
- Curriculum
development on non violence through humanism and ethics focusing
on school children,
- Talk
programmes on human rights (including women rights, against child
labour) ethics, and youth empowerment and against social evils
like superstitions,
- Publication
of bi-monthly bulletin (future plan),
- Production
of radio/television programmes (future plan),
- Distribution
of IEC materials,
- Discussion,
debate, seminar on current issues,
-
Research
Contact person Youth Forum
Ms Prashannata Wasti, President
P.O. Box 11568
Kathmandu, Nepal
E-mail: youthforum@post.com,
prasanw_2@hotmail.com
Sanjivani Nepal, Center for Public Health
Concern
Contact Person: Dr Babu Ram Gautam, Director
E-mail: spc@mail.com.np
Sanjivani
Nepal, Media Forum for Peace and Development
Contact Person: Mr Yadav Raj Joshi, Programme Coordinator
E-mail: mediaforum@mail.com,
yrj2001@yahoo.com
@Written by Badri Ojha.
Involvement in IHEYO
Sanjivani
Nepal is a full member of IHEYO.
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Youth
humanism around the world