Rautes have higher death rate than birth rate

BY Kamal Sharma,Dailekh, Feb. 20: The Raute community, living in different forests of Karnali province, has been found to have a higher death rate than the birth rate. 

The death rate is increasing more than the birth rate in the Raute community due to excessive consumption of alcohol, malnutrition, fire and problems related to fighting.  

Earlier, the community used to believe that it was a sin to touch money, but gradually they are mixing up with the normal people, adopting their bad habits.  

According to a survey conducted by the Raute Project, 26 persons were born in the Raute community and 28 died in the four years from September, 2018 to January 2022. 

The death toll has risen to 29 with the death of Raute youth Narayan Shahi, who was injured in a fire incident on January 18.

Lal Bahadur Khatri, a teacher assigned to the community for the Raute project, said that more Rautes including children, women and the elderlies, were dying because of excessive alcohol consumption in the last few years. 

He said that the population of Rautes is decreasing due to alcohol consumption, getting into a fire, falling from cliff and death of children from malnutrition. 

Teacher Khatri said that the children and old people are dying due to excessive alcohol drinking and parents are found leaving their newly born babies on the settlement and roaming around throughout the day. As a result, the new born babies are deprived of proper care and nutritious food for their growth. 

According to Khatri, a total of 26 babies have been born in the last four years since 2018. Among them, six new-born babies, eight children and 15 people aged above 18 years  have died. Among the Raute castes, there are three Thakuri castes – Swamshi, Kalyal and Raskoti.  

According to the latest data in the community, seven boys and 13 girls in the age group of 18 years have remained unmarried. They have not been able to get married because some boys of their age are from the same caste.

Anami Amrita Rokaya, who has been involved in the health treatment of Raute women, said that early marriage has increased the risk of maternal and infant death in the Raute community.

 She said that the people of the community do not pay attention to family planning.  Rokaya said that most of the women have problems of uterus and the children are suffering from malnutrition.