Slumming or not slumming

Today we were supposed to visit one of the slums in Kathmandu. It was a, by some dreaded and others anticipated, trip. Unfortunately our facilitators were forced to cancel the whole arrangement due to disagreements between the government and the inhabitants of the slums.
Still, we had the opportunity to learn about the slums, as our Nepalese facilitator, Anjana briefed us about the current situation, and the more general definition of slums.

UN defines slums through 4 criterias: 1)the inhabitants have no concrete houses, 2)the area is crowded, 3)there is no access to services, and 4) poverty (below $1.25 a day).

There are several factors that can cause slums to occur in major cities. One is urbanization, but it can also be caused by conflict, e.g. civil war. In Nepal the latter was a major factor.
Furthermore there are a number of factors which keep people in the slums: For one, the slums are government owned, which means they can intervene at any given time, changing the dynamics or even demolishing the areas if it is beneficial to it. The slums are also of political interest and function as vote-banks during elections. Here the different political parties promises to protect a given slum area in exchange for votes. Also, there exists a number of so called land mafias who take advantage of the governments unpredictable auctions of land in the slum areas. They will buy off several plots and sell them with profits. This way a few people will obtain power and wealth at the cost of the many defenseless slummers.
On top of this, the government have an interest in keeping people in the slums when advocating for international support. On the other hand they might demolish large areas to keep the larger population satisfied.
Outdated laws also restrict the rights of the slummmers. E.g. you have no right to citizenship if you do not own land, but you cannot own land without a citizenship.

Despite the difficult conditions and prejudices against people living in slums, most slummers do not want to leave. They have build a life and a community in the slums. Often you can find schools, daycare centers and youth clubs and even small co-operatives within the boarders of larger slums. People are also more aware of their rights and fight for their causes when the government forces its power upon their home. Many people living in the slums originate from the rural areas of Nepal. They find it beneficial to live in the city where you are closer to services such as dentists, hospitals etc. As Anjana put it; They will rather be poor in the city, than rich in the country.

The current situation is caused by a government plan to demolish a slum area, while the people living there claim their right to be there, referring to the internationally acknowledged Human Rights.

Food for thought:
Today 506 million people are living in the slums in Asia alone. This is 61% of the worlds total slum population.....

Mette-Maria