KATHMANDU, Feb 27: A minor from a middle-class family in Kavre was repeatedly abused by her own father for two years. The 14-year-old had been harassed by her father since she was a child. However, she had been subject to suffer sexual abuse since she was 12 years old. According to what the victim told Maiti Nepal, her father would abuse her when there was no one else at home. Her father had a second marriage after her own mother abandoned her at a young age.
The victim, who did not receive love from anyone, had to do household chores while studying. Abandoned by her mother and abused by father, she had no one to turn to. She had shared the incidents of her abuses with her stepmother. But her stepmother would not believe her which only exacerbated her isolation and anguish.
Quoting what the stepmother told the victim, Sumitra Shrestha, chief in-charge and counselor at Maiti Nepal, said “You are a child. It is not what you think, your father only loved you.” As no one at home listened to her, she shared about the incident to her neighborhood sister, and went to the police to file a complaint through community's help. After a month at the police’s safe house, she was referred to Maiti Nepal for long term care. The accused father is now serving a life sentence in prison on charge of incest rape.
Similarly, on 2023 mid-July to mid-August, another 14-years-old girl of Kavre, who was travelling to her maternal-uncle’s home in Panchkhal in a micro-bus was raped by a driver. Instead of dropping her off at Panchkhal, he drove her to Sindhuli. Upon questioning the driver, he told her that it was already late at night, and that he would drop her to her destination the next day. Following that he took her to a hotel, where the assault took place. Following the incident, the driver allegedly threatened the victim to prevent her from reporting the incident to the police.
The search operation was initiated when it was discovered that she had not reached her maternal uncle's home in Panchkhal. During the search, it was found that she was in Sindhuli, and her parents brought her back home. She then reported the entire incident to her parents. Her parents promptly filed a complaint at the police station. At that time, she was placed in the police’s safe house for her protection. Later, she was referred to Maiti Nepal for long-term care.
According to Shrestha, her parents were hesitant to take her home because they were concerned about what society would say. The victim's parents were concerned about the judgment and stigma from the community, which could affect their reputation and how others viewed them. The victim was kept in Maiti Nepal. The accused driver was sentenced to 17-years imprisonment and is currently serving his term in prison. Tamang said the victim was initially traumatized and isolated. However, after receiving counseling, she began to heal and is now performing well in her studies and other activities.
Likewise, on April 6, 2022, a 16-years-old girl from Kailali became another victim of sexual assault and also survived a near-death situation. The girl whose parents were working in India, was living with her brother. One day she left for her grandmother's home in Kalikot with her friend. While taking the bus, the co-driver said that the bus would not go to Kalikot until the next day as the sun went down. He further made an excuse that he would take them to Kalikot without taking the bus fare. As it was already night, the co-driver took her to a hotel, where he raped her.
After the incident, she returned to her home instead of going to her grandmother’s home. The next day, the victim went to Bhaktapur after the accused co-driver called her. The accused again attempted to rape her. During that time, the girl attempted to escape, where the accused injured her neck with a blade. While she was returning home with the wound, the other people asked her what had happened. That is when she opened up about the entire incident. She was taken to the hospital, where she got 17 stitches. Following this, the case of attempted murder and rape charges was filed against the accused co-driver. He was sentenced to 18-years of imprisonment, which includes six-years of attempted murder and 12 years imprisonment on rape charge.
All the three girls are currently under the protection of Maiti Nepal and are studying there. According to Maiti Nepal, in recent days, the highest number of sexual violence cases related to women and children have been reported in Kavre.
The trend of rape case in Nepal is continually rising in the last five fiscal year. Despite the country’s stance that violence against girls is a heinous crime, such incidents have not decreased in recent years. Every single day, approximately two to three individuals become victims of rape.
Dinesh Kumar Acharya, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and central spokesperson for the Nepal Police, said that that 90 percent of sexual violence cases are committed by individuals who are familiar or close to the victims. He said that the trend of rise in rape are correlated with the growing influence of technology, particularly the social media. “The widespread use of platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and other social media outlets has contributed significantly to the increasing number of rape cases in recent years. The reason for this rising trend is misuse of internet and social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Viber and others,” he told Republica, “The misuse of these platforms such as online harassment, exploitation and manipulating vulnerable individuals, has created an environment for these crimes.”
He said that on the other hand, the increasing trend of leaving children alone has also led to a rise in rape cases in Nepal. Most of the cases occur when the victims are alone. When children and women are left unsupervised, especially in their homes or other secluded places, they become more vulnerable to abuse, giving the perpetrator an opportunity to take advantage and commit the crime. “Therefore, it’s important for parents to understand the risks of leaving children in secluded places to prevent it,” he added.
Mamata Bista, Chief women development officer of Gender Based Violence Prevention Division under the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, said that although sexual violence and related education are included in school curricula, it is important to ensure that these topics are being taught effectively to adolescents. Bista said, “Issues concerning women are often overlooked as they are raised. The government, on the other hand, tends to prioritize other issues, particularly those related to infrastructure development, construction and others. Just as infrastructure has been given priority, if the same priority is given to these crimes, we would see a significant fall in these crimes.”
Over 13,000 rape cases registered in last 5.5 years, majority of accused aged 19-25
The data of the Nepal Police Headquarters show that in 5.5 years, a total of 13,072 rape cases have been registered from the fiscal year 2019/20 to mid-January of the current fiscal year 2024/25. Out of this, the highest number of 2,532 cases were recorded in the fiscal year 2020/21, the period of COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 2,144 rape cases were registered in the fiscal year 2019/20 alone. Additionally, 2,380 cases were filed in the fiscal year 2021/22, followed by 2,387 cases in 2022/23 and 2507 cases in 2023/24. As of mid-January of the current fiscal year 2024/25, a total of 1,122 rape cases have been registered.
Similarly, Koshi Province reported the highest number of registered rape cases in this 5.5 years duration, which is 2,931, followed by 2,153 cases in Lumbini Province. The Nepal Police statistics shows that the trend is steadily increasing.
In this period, a total of 27 including minor and women have been killed after being raped, with 37 accused arrested in connection with these cases. The data from the headquarters reveal that the age group between 11 to 16 years is the most affected, with 5,176 registered cases of rape in this category. The data indicates that the majority of individuals accused of rape fall within the age range of 19 to 25 years old, with a total of 5,518 individuals in this age group have been accused of rape across Nepal over the 5.5 years. However, there are also cases where children below 10 years old have been accused, though their numbers are very low. A total of 30 individuals in this age group have been accused of rape.
Chief in-charge Shrestha said that rape cases are surging day by day. Maiti Nepal provides protection for women and children who have been trafficked, exploited, or abused. According to the organization, a significant number of rape victims are minors. Maiti Nepal has handled 1,990 reported cases of rape from 2002 and 2024. Over the past four years, rape against women and children has been increasing. Similarly, 118 cases were reported in 2022, followed by 159 in 2022 and 111 in 2023 as mentioned. In 2024 alone, there were 125 cases of rape, of which 88 were on women and 37 on minors. Shrestha said that these are the only registered cases, however, most of the cases are not filed due to shame, social stigma, and family pressure.
Shrestha said that close relatives, family members are often behind most rapes. The majority of sexual violence is not only committed by strangers, but by those who should be trusted the most, including family members, close individuals. These issues often remain in the shadows, with survivors silenced by fear, shame and social pressure to protect family reputation in the community.
The National Penal (Code) Act, 2017 stipulates life imprisonment for raping a girl under the age of 10 years, 18-20 years imprisonment for raping a girl under the age of 10, and 10 to 12 years imprisonment for raping a girl between the ages 16 and 18.
Uma Tamang, Maiti Nepal’s legal officer, said that incidents of violence against children have increased recently. After being subjected to sexual violence, girls and their families often experience negative consequences. According to Tamang, if parents take responsibility for the safety of their children, child abuse will decrease. She said that the state should also expand and make awareness programs on legal matters more widespread and effective, so that children can grow up in a safe environment within the community.
“Some incidents of sexual violence have not come to light,” Tamang said “Even those that have come to light have not resulted in justice for the victims due to political pressure. Most incidents of sexual violence are found to be committed by family members, close individuals, neighbors, and relatives.”
Tamang further said, “The written form of laws regarding the rape are sufficient, but the issue lies in the lack of proper implementation. There is a lack of awareness. The concerned ward should be more sensitive towards incidents happening within their own areas. In the rural areas, many ward offices aren’t even aware of what is happening in their own communities.” She said that in order to reduce these crimes the wards should establish a mapping system to learn how many people from their areas are leaving to other places.
She said that although the government has also established various funds to protect women and children who have been exploited or abused, many people are unaware of these facilities. This lack of awareness prevents the victims from accessing the help and protection they need. In order to address this issue, she suggested that the relevant authorities should conduct widespread awareness campaigns in the different areas, especially in rural areas.
“The victims of sexual violence are often forced into isolation,” Shrestha said, “These victims show many symptoms, such as being unable to express their emotions, feeling a loss of control over themselves, experiencing fear, insecurity, and loneliness, and engaging in self-harming behavior. She further said that instead of providing the necessary support, positive behavior, not leaving them alone, and continuously paying attention to their daily activities, the family and society have failed to do so.”
Counsellor Shrestha said that the victims even did not participate in activities thinking that their friends would ask about the incident to them, which made them lonely. Shrestha said that the victims become re-victim if people keep asking the same questions or dig too deep into the incident, which can trigger flashbacks. Shrestha said that some of the victims were abandoned by their families or loved ones, which made their situations even worse. “During this time, the victim did not get support from those who should have been there for them, resulting trauma and debilitating challenges,” she told Republica, “This abandonment of their family increased their sense of isolation.”