Cases of human rights violations surged by 27 percent in 2023

Published On: February 20, 2024 07:31 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

Involvement of government bodies in human right violations in notable number of cases

KATHMANDU, Feb 20: Nepal witnessed 9,388 cases related to human rights violation in 2023, which was way higher than the cases in the previous year.

The Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC) on Monday unveiled a report which shows a significant increase of 2,012 cases compared to the previous year. The country recorded a total of 7,376 cases of human rights violation in the year 2022. There was a massive rise in cases of human right violations related to women and children in the review year.

Among the victims, two were subjected to torture, 240 were taken in police custody, 62 underwent caste disparity, 414 were physically assaulted, and 31 individuals sustained inhumane behaviors. According to the INSEC record, six individuals were reported to have died due to the negligence of the state authorities including two who died in police custody. Fifty one others reportedly died in prisons.

The cases of medical practitioners being manhandled and beaten appeared to be alarming in the review year. A total of 52 women sustained domestic violence on dowry issues.

Likewise, 233 women and children suffered violence through social media. According to the report, 392 cases of sexual violences were registered while 1,002 were reported to have been raped. In 2023, a total of 1,565 children-related cases were registered as human rights violations. Fifty two children were subjected to trafficking.

Province-wise, Lumbini Province registered the largest number of cases of human right violations. This province reported a total of 2,069 cases of human rights violation including 43 cases in which the victims suffered from the government authorities.

The INSEC report shows the highest number of those suffering from state-side were from Bagmati Province. During the period, 698 cases in the province were attributed to the human right violations from the government side.

Similarly, Koshi Province witnessed 1,541 cases, out of which 116 were related to state affairs. Gandaki Province had 616 cases of human right violations, whereas Karnali Province recorded 499 such cases.