KATHMANDU, NEPAL, July 21, 2001: For the past 300 years, a succession of small girls have been chosen to become Kumari, or Nepal’s living goddess — a job that entails living in an ornate cloister, appearing at religious festivals on a chariot and retiring at the age of 11 with a small pension. But human rights activists are questioning the tradition now that the current Kumari has reached puberty, obliging her to step down. “Nepal has ratified the convention on the rights of the child. It says that you can’t exploit children in the name of culture,” said human rights lawyers, Sapana Pradhan-Malla. “And yet the Kumari is forced to give up her childhood. She has to be a goddess instead. Her rights are being violated.” Opponents of the tradition point to the rituals involved in selecting the Kumari and the austere lifestyle the new goddess is expected to lead. Those calling for reform point to the uncomfortable fate of former Kumaris, who often find it difficult to adjust to their abrupt loss of status. Angana Shakya of Nepal’s International Institute of Human Rights, Environment and Development, pointed out that, unlike the past, Kumari’s now receive an education from private tutors. They were “highly respected” within their communities and revered by both Buddhists and Hindus across the Kathmandu valley, she said. Former Kumari’s are no longer forbidden from marrying, she added. There are currently 11 former goddesses, one of whom has three children.
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