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Nepal Supreme Court Rejects Traditional Treatment of Child Goddess

By Howard M. Friedman

Nepal's Supreme Court has dealt a blow to the traditional practice in Nepal to select a young girl who will be isolated in a palace and worshiped as the reincarnation of a Hindu goddess of power. Gulf Times and AFP both report on the decision in a case filed by Nepalese lawyers challenging the isolation of the pre-pubescent choice, known as the Kumari. The court ruled that the Kumari has the rights protected by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The court said that kumaris should be able to attend school, have access to health care, and have freedom of movement. The court ordered the government to create a five-member committee to study the condition of the kumaris and report back within a year. Nepal has become a constitutional democracy, a move that was to end the tradition of the Hindu king receiving an annual blessing from the Kumari to legitimized his power. (See prior related posting.)

Full post as published by Religion Clause on August 21, 2008 (boomark / email).