Lack of data on conflict-era sexual violence hampers support

KATHMANDU, March 24: The government is mulling providing support to victims of sexual violence and torture during the Maoist insurgency and help them overcome their traumatic experiences. But identifying the victims for accessing any support to the victims continues to remain a major hurdle.

Speaking at an interaction organized by the International Organization for Migration (IoM) in the capital on Monday, Mukunda Prasad Paudyal, joint secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction (MoPR) said that the ministry is planning to support the insurgency-era victims of sexual violence and torture with various relief and recovery programs.


"But we do not have an accurate data of the victims. It has been difficult to come up with any possible strategies and programs to support them. And collecting the data is challenging," said he.

A report "Silenced and Forgotten: Survivors of Nepal's Conflict-era Sexual Violence," published by Human Rights Watch, a US-based organizations, last year, states that immense social stigma attached to sexual assault and the fear of retaliation is preventing many women from speaking up against these crimes during the conflict. These factors still inhibit many others from speaking up about the assaults.

Ram Bhandari, general secretary of the Conflict Victims Common Platform, said that the government never gave priority to issue of sexual violence during the civil war. "It never worked to remove social stigma associated with sexual assaults making exact data collection next to impossible. It is necessary for the government to adopt community-based approach to help the victims reintegrate in society," he said.

Likewise, Trilochan Uprety, executive director of Advocacy Forum, said that the government should carry out community-based approach and identify the victims. "But at the same time, the government should protect it. After the identification, the government should provide psychosocial counseling, provide skills so that the victim can start an independent life and provide seed money to help make a living," said he.

Maurizio Busatti, IOM Chief of Mission in Nepal, said that the government's failure to address the needs of the victims of sexual violence acts a major hindrance to sustainable peace and has potential for long lasting negative implications not only for the survivors and their families but to society as a whole.

"There is a need to recognize the victims of conflict-related sexual violence as 'conflict victims' and to ensure they benefit from all the same rights to relief and recovery support, access to justice, and respect as other currently recognized groups of conflict-affected persons," stated Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nepal.

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