Saraswati Devi Chaurasiya of Bishrampur-1 in Parsa District was thrown out of her own house by her brother-in-law and his son. To claim her property after her husband passed away, she was accused of being a boksi (witch) and was beaten before being thrown out.
She sought refuge at her daughters’ place in Birgunj, as women activists fought for her rights. The perpetrators were jailed and were sentenced to two years in prison. But after paying Rs 18,000 as bail amount, they were set free.[break]
When Saraswati Devi came back home, they threatened to kill her and her daughter’s family.[break]
“I’m helpless but I’m lucky that I got support. But I’m still looking for support to punish these heartless people,” she said while sharing her story at a workshop held in Kathmandu last Tuesday.
Accusation of witchery is a form of gender-based violence, and news of it surfaces time and again where women are termed boksi-s and are force-fed feces, beaten, or even worse – burnt alive.
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) has been prevalent in Nepal and around the world since time unknown. The patriarchal society that Nepal is chronically mired in, especially in the rural areas, has widely reasserted the fact that women are weak time and again.
“The media has recently started highlighting a lot on GBV issues and cases of rape are being reported frequently. This has led to the thinking that gender-based violence has increased but it really hasn’t,” said Malati Maskey of ActionAid Nepal, pointing out that violence against women has always been prevalent in Nepal.
She also points out that the trend has changed when it comes to gender-based violence. “In case of rapes, especially after the New Delhi incident, cases of gang rapes have increased. In case of dowries, women previously were ill treated but now it’s moved up to attempt to murder and is some cases even murder.
“In case of witchcraft accusations, women used to be thrown out of the village but now threatening to murder or even murder has become common,” elaborates Maskey while talking about the changes in trends. She believes that gender-based violence, if reported, should be followed up by the media so as to let people know what actually happens to rapists, murderers and those who are involved.
Victims of gender-based violence still stay behind closed doors and not lodge complaints with the police because of the societal pressure and a dysfunctional justice system.
“If a woman charges someone and faces him in court, she isn’t provided with any security. Even though Kathmandu has a fast track system in the courts, the districts don’t. Political protection is another big problem where the perpetrators get away very easily,” stated Maskey.
According to a UNFPA report, “Situational Analysis of Gender-Based Violence in Surkhet and Dang Districts, Nepal,” lack of reconciliation and weak laws encourage all forms of violence to persist within these communities. And so has been the case all around Nepal.
“We’re more concerned with sexual violence against women but any form of violence isn’t acceptable at all,” said Sudha Pant, Gender Focal Point at UNFPA Nepal. Adding to that, Upama Malla, Program Officer at UNFPA Nepal sharing her experience from field, said, “There was this three-year-old girl who was raped by a 25-year-old man. Another 12-year-old was raped by her grandfather. And a 65-year-old woman, in the absence of her husband, was raped and the rapist was actually hired by her own daughter-in-law.”
She added that cases of gender-based violence have remained the same because of patriarchal value system and that it is not against one man alone because perpetrators might not always be a man. She explained further that it is the people in the society who have internalized the patriarchal value system that gives value to one sex over the other, paving the way for gender discrimination.
Pant further added that 821 women reported cases of gender-based violence out of 35,000 during a health camp organized during one of the projects of UNFPA.
The officers also informed that safe houses have been functional in 15 districts around Nepal where women facing gender-based violence can directly get counseling and immediate health treatment at the facilities.
It is to be hoped that only when all the 75 districts of Nepal have safe houses for such victims institutionalized, the GBV scenario, among other social ills, may turn out as better managed in the country.
Talking about Gender-Based Violence
Gender Based Violence has been prevalent for a very long time all around the world. Connecting the dots and finding out why men use violence against women, Dr. Emma Fulu, a Research Specialist with Partners for Prevention, a joint program of UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women and UNV, conducted a research in six countries – China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
After interviewing over 10,000 men, the result was that out of 25 men, one had raped a woman and most of the men who confessed to doing so did it during their teenage years.
Pravat Jung Gurung caught up with Dr. Fulu, currently based in Bangkok, Thailand, and spoke to her about how gender-based violence can be prevented. Excerpts:
In your own words, what is the status of GBV in Asia and the Pacific according to your research?
Our study with men confirmed what other research with women in the past has found – that violence against women is highly pervasive in the Asia Pacific region, as it is globally. We found that nearly half of the men interviewed reported using physical and/or sexual violence against a female partner in their lifetime. However, there was also great diversity across the countries and sites where the research was conducted. For example, men’s perpetration of partner violence ranged from 26 percent to 80 percent across the sites. The range of rates of violence show that while many men surveyed have used violence, many others have not, reflecting different patterns of ways of being a man, including those who are oriented towards more equality and peace. This shows that violence is not inevitable, and there are things we can do to prevent it.
Why do you think men resort to violence and how can this be prevented?
The study found that men’s use of violence fundamentally stems from gender inequality and unequal power relationship between men and women. However, the study showed that various factors (such as experiences or characteristics) make some men more likely to use violence than others. For example, men who had experienced or were witness to abuse as children were twice as likely to use violence later in life.
Beliefs around men’s entitlement to control over women and women’s bodies were a key factor motivating men to use violence. And men who were violent against women were more likely to behave in ways that celebrated male toughness and violence, including being involved in gangs and fights with weapons. In terms of how to prevent it, to decrease the widespread rates of violence against women, we need policies and programs that focus on changes in relationships, communities and institutions. We need to address gender inequality and promote caring and healthy relationships based on respect; address the impact of violence and neglect of children and find ways to prevent it, and work with young boys to champion peaceful, caring, and healthy ways of being a man to promote positive role models. The solutions are not the only things that need to be done to prevent violence against women and girls. This is what our study shows as priority areas but these things need to be done as part of a comprehensive approach to ending violence against women.
Why is it that younger men are getting involved in rapes? Is it because of the environment and surrounding they grow up in?
The study found that perpetration of rape often does start early in life, with nearly half of those who reported committing rape, saying they did so for the first time when they were teenagers. This suggests that the factors that contribute to such violence are formed early. This includes ideas that men are entitled to sex with women regardless of consent and attitudes that reflect unequal power relations between men and women. Also norms around what it means to be a man that celebrate male dominance over women and sexual performance are formed early. This means we need to start working with young boys to address this, including through programs that enhance the knowledge and skills of young people to help them understand consent and foster respectful relationships.
What kind of violence is more prevalent according to your research and why?
The study found that violence against an intimate partner or domestic violence is the most common type of violence against women in the region. This is the same as what is found globally. This highlights that there are unequal power relations between men and women in many relationships. Sexual violence within marriage is also quite common and this shows the need to criminalize marital rape in places where it is not yet a crime.
Do you think gender inequality is the reason behind sexual violence against women?
Yes, we found that the most important underlying driver of sexual violence against women relates to gender inequality, and particular manifestations of masculinity (what it means to be a man) that celebrate sexual dominance and violence. In addition, men’s own experiences of violence were also important in driving violence, including experiences of emotional and sexual abuse as children. This highlights that along with addressing gender inequality, we also need to focus on addressing childhood trauma as a part of violence prevention.
What role does education play in preventing and reducing GBV?
Education has an extremely important role to play in preventing and reducing GBV. Education of girls is a priority to ensure that they have the social and economic opportunities to live life free of violence. Further, specific education for young boys and girls is particularly important to address gender inequality and promote life skills and support healthy relationships. And there are some excellent examples of school-based programs that are having success in this regard in the Asia-Pacific region.
Do you think all the awareness programs are helping reduce GBV?
Awareness programs are an important first step in addressing GBV. We need to raise awareness of women’s rights, and that violence is not acceptable. However a truly comprehensive and coordinated approach is needed to really reduce the rates of violence against women. There is no single quick fix. We need a concerted effort across multiple sectors to address gender inequality and the acceptability of violence, address childhood experiences of violence and promote non-violence models of manhood that are focused on equality and respect.
pravat.gurung@gmail.com
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