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| Image Source: Social Problems in Nepal |
What exactly is Deuki's custom?
It is a tradition wherein young (as young as 5 years old) girls are ‘offered’ by their parents or guardians to serve at local Hindu temples in Nepal. Those girls are then called Deukis, meaning ‘offered to the temple Gods.’
It is a tradition wherein young (as young as 5 years old) girls are ‘offered’ by their parents or guardians to serve at local Hindu temples in Nepal. Those girls are then called Deukis, meaning ‘offered to the temple Gods.’
Why are girls offered to the temple Gods?
Girls are offered to the temples to serve as Deukis because parents/guardians hope that making such offerings of ‘goodwill’ would earn them protection and good favor/fortune from the Gods, eventually gaining holy approval.
Poor families mainly make this ‘huge, dedicated sacrifice for a higher purpose’ in the hope to gain status and community approval, and to relieve themselves of the financial burdens of taking care of a girl child, and also the subsequent foreseen burdens of finding a suitable husband for their little daughter because once she becomes a Deuki, they would no longer hold the obligations and responsibilities of taking care of her.
Girls are offered to the temples to serve as Deukis because parents/guardians hope that making such offerings of ‘goodwill’ would earn them protection and good favor/fortune from the Gods, eventually gaining holy approval.
Poor families mainly make this ‘huge, dedicated sacrifice for a higher purpose’ in the hope to gain status and community approval, and to relieve themselves of the financial burdens of taking care of a girl child, and also the subsequent foreseen burdens of finding a suitable husband for their little daughter because once she becomes a Deuki, they would no longer hold the obligations and responsibilities of taking care of her.
What’s the life of a Deuki like?
Since girls are mostly offered to become Deukis at a very young age, they have no skills, education, or income to take care of themselves, and usually, they have no additional means of contact with their parents or guardians for further assistance. Also, since they’re very young, marriage is not considered an option.
Therefore, Deukis solely rely on the benevolence and generosity of the worshippers and their monetary donations to the temple for survival. As little girls, they somehow fend for themselves by performing several services for the temple like working as slaves and dancers until they hit puberty.
Once they reach the stage of puberty, they are required to serve as sex slaves for the male priests and even worshippers. The myth that sleeping with Deukis washes away one’s sins and invites in good fortune pushes Deukis to stick to prostitution in exchange for a living. This, in turn, negatively affects their sexual health and makes them prone to various sexually transmitted diseases.
So, the life of a Deuki seems quite miserable and ill-fated. Abandoned by their families and all other forms of support systems, they grow up largely on their own without any means of income, skills, or ambitions. They’re considered as liabilities and treated as properties of the temple and even outcasts by the communities.
Since girls are mostly offered to become Deukis at a very young age, they have no skills, education, or income to take care of themselves, and usually, they have no additional means of contact with their parents or guardians for further assistance. Also, since they’re very young, marriage is not considered an option.
Therefore, Deukis solely rely on the benevolence and generosity of the worshippers and their monetary donations to the temple for survival. As little girls, they somehow fend for themselves by performing several services for the temple like working as slaves and dancers until they hit puberty.
Once they reach the stage of puberty, they are required to serve as sex slaves for the male priests and even worshippers. The myth that sleeping with Deukis washes away one’s sins and invites in good fortune pushes Deukis to stick to prostitution in exchange for a living. This, in turn, negatively affects their sexual health and makes them prone to various sexually transmitted diseases.
So, the life of a Deuki seems quite miserable and ill-fated. Abandoned by their families and all other forms of support systems, they grow up largely on their own without any means of income, skills, or ambitions. They’re considered as liabilities and treated as properties of the temple and even outcasts by the communities.
Early Deuki Life
In earlier times, the reality of being a Deuki was highly different from the kind of stigmatization it has reached today. Once upon a time, being a Deuki was considered very prestigious and of high status.
The ritual of becoming a Deuki usually involved an elaborated public ceremony wherein many people of the community gathered around and feasted together in the temple, witnessing the ritual of the girl being dedicated to the temple and its Gods, eventually becoming a new Deuki. She’d then be considered married to the Gods, and her role as the caretaker of Gods and the temple was revered and valued.
The women were even rewarded with wealthy donations and parcels from the temple properties for their services. However, as time went on, such patronage of the temples and Deukis declined and eventually disappeared.
In earlier times, the reality of being a Deuki was highly different from the kind of stigmatization it has reached today. Once upon a time, being a Deuki was considered very prestigious and of high status.
The ritual of becoming a Deuki usually involved an elaborated public ceremony wherein many people of the community gathered around and feasted together in the temple, witnessing the ritual of the girl being dedicated to the temple and its Gods, eventually becoming a new Deuki. She’d then be considered married to the Gods, and her role as the caretaker of Gods and the temple was revered and valued.
The women were even rewarded with wealthy donations and parcels from the temple properties for their services. However, as time went on, such patronage of the temples and Deukis declined and eventually disappeared.
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| Image Source: illuminaija |
Deukis Today
Today, Deukis are frequently raped by priests right after the dedication of even 5–6-year-old girls. The Deuki custom serves as the roots for sex trafficking in Nepal which has in turn fuelled into the perils of objectification of women and gender inequalities in the country. Women are perceived more as objects to be used and thrown than being looked at as real human beings.
In 1990, the Nepali constitution formally abolished the custom of Deuki Pratha and labeled it as unlawful. Any sort of human and sex trafficking in the name of religion and culture was deemed illegal. Many laws were passed that should’ve curtailed the number of Deukis, however, the number of Deukis only went up between 1992-2010. Girls still continued to be converted into Deukis.
Up until 2006, it was tough for Deuki’s children to get official Nepali citizenship, as citizenship in the country was mainly acquired by patrilineal descent i.e., the father’s line. Matrilineal descent remained largely unrecognized, and once a girl becomes a Deuki, she ceases to be a Nepali citizen.
So, when Deukis’ children are born, they are often denied Nepali citizenship. Many daughters born to Deukis (called Devis) also go on to become Deukis as they’re deprived of education and other social support services. However, a law passed in 2006 makes it slightly easier for Deukis’ children to get citizenship only if they can prove that their father is Nepali.
Today, the statistics of the number of Deukis remain unavailable, however, they very much exist, and the Nepali government along with various NGOs have worked to trace those practices, make bills against them, and rehabilitate Deukis.
Written By – Vidhi Nankani
Today, Deukis are frequently raped by priests right after the dedication of even 5–6-year-old girls. The Deuki custom serves as the roots for sex trafficking in Nepal which has in turn fuelled into the perils of objectification of women and gender inequalities in the country. Women are perceived more as objects to be used and thrown than being looked at as real human beings.
In 1990, the Nepali constitution formally abolished the custom of Deuki Pratha and labeled it as unlawful. Any sort of human and sex trafficking in the name of religion and culture was deemed illegal. Many laws were passed that should’ve curtailed the number of Deukis, however, the number of Deukis only went up between 1992-2010. Girls still continued to be converted into Deukis.
Up until 2006, it was tough for Deuki’s children to get official Nepali citizenship, as citizenship in the country was mainly acquired by patrilineal descent i.e., the father’s line. Matrilineal descent remained largely unrecognized, and once a girl becomes a Deuki, she ceases to be a Nepali citizen.
So, when Deukis’ children are born, they are often denied Nepali citizenship. Many daughters born to Deukis (called Devis) also go on to become Deukis as they’re deprived of education and other social support services. However, a law passed in 2006 makes it slightly easier for Deukis’ children to get citizenship only if they can prove that their father is Nepali.
Today, the statistics of the number of Deukis remain unavailable, however, they very much exist, and the Nepali government along with various NGOs have worked to trace those practices, make bills against them, and rehabilitate Deukis.
Written By – Vidhi Nankani
Edited By - Anamika Malik
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