KATHMANDU: “Cases of sexual violence in Nepal have been on the rise in recent years, according to data from the Nepal Police.
More than 9,000 such cases have been registered in the past four years.
In the fiscal year 2019/20, 2,449 cases of sexual violence were reported and charges were filed in 2,144 of them. The majority of these cases were perpetrated by acquaintances of the victims.
Similarly, 2,815 rape cases were registered in 2020/21 and chargesheets were filed in 2,531 cases. In 2021/22, chargesheets were filed in 2,380 out of 2,654 reported cases.
In the first six months of the current fiscal year, chargesheets were filed in approximately 1,000 cases out of the reported 1,200 cases.
An analysis of the data shows that women are subject to violence in various settings, from households to schools. According to the police, in some cases, the victims do not go through the process of registering the case.
DIG Poshraj Pokharel of Nepal Police stated that the increase in awareness among the general public has led to a rise in the number of reported cases of sexual violence. He also added that there have been no reported cases of false accusations in recent years.
“The rate of prosecuting the accused in cases of sexual violence has increased in recent times. Additionally, police have become more active in investigating such incidents,” he added.
He said that cases of sexual violence are more common in urban areas, and that there is a higher incidence of such incidents among teenagers due to their lack of maturity.
In one recent representative case of sexual violence, two teachers of St. Lawrence College in Chabhill were arrested by the Metropolitan Police Circle Gaushala for allegedly sexually assaulting a female student. The complaint was filed by three female students. The case is being prosecuted.
In another case, police arrested Ramji Basnet, a teacher of Savanam Shikshyalaya in Jorpati, on the charge of child sexual abuse in May last year. The teacher was accused of sexually abusing 11, 12 and 14-year-old students studying in classes 7, 8 and 10 for the past seven months. Basnet was arrested by the police from Ramechhap after students filed a complaint against him.
DIG Poshraj Pokharel of Nepal Police stated that the increase in awareness among the general public has led to a rise in the number of reported cases of sexual violence.
Manoj Pandey, the owner of Model Global Visa Consultancy, was arrested by the police on the charge of raping a participant of a beauty contest that he had organized around seven years ago. The victim filed a complaint against him in May. Pandey has been accused of rape and human trafficking. A bench of District Judge Deepak Dhakal convicted Pandey on Tuesday.
Similarly, the police arrested 37-year-old Namraj Paudel of Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan City-2 on the charge of raping a 33-year-old woman from Dang on January 17. The police stationed at the temporary police post at Chowghera arrested Paudel on the basis of a complaint that he had raped the woman while she was going to a forest in Beldamar of Lamahi Municipality-6 to collect fodder about a month ago.
In Bhaktapur, police arrested 29-year-old Mohammad Arif Sheikh, a resident of Haripur Municipality-6 in Sarlahi, on the charge of raping a 15-year-old girl in Suryabinayak. Based on the complaint that Sheikh had forced himself on the girl all night, the police stationed at the Thimi police station arrested Sheikh.
Apart from these representative cases, there have also been reports of sexual abuse by family members such as grandfathers, stepfathers, fathers-in-law, uncles, brothers-in-law, and husbands. Additionally, there have been incidents of rape by neighbors, roommates, and friends.
In some cases, individuals have reported incidents of sexual abuse to the police, claiming that they were victimized by ‘celebrities’.
In August last year, a complaint of rape was filed against cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane. Similarly, actor Paul Shah was also accused of raping a minor and was subsequently charged. Although Shah was acquitted by Tanahun District Court, he was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to pay compensation of Rs 1 million by the Nawalpur District court.
According to stakeholders, victims of sexual violence often have to struggle to seek justice through the police and court systems. To prevent such incidents from occurring, they stress the importance of raising awareness and taking strong action against perpetrators.
