KATHMANDU, May 22: Women parliamentarians have demanded the government immediately remove the statute of limitations in cases of heinous crimes such as rape and sexual assault.
The members of the House of Representatives including CPN-UML MP Binda Pandey, Nepali Congress MP Pushpa Bhusal, CPN (Maoist Center) MP Amrita Thapa Magar and others have demanded the government remove such legal provisions immediately.
Speaking at a discussion program organized by the Women and Social Committee of the House of Representatives at Singha Durbar on Sunday on the issue of a young woman who has shared sexual assault incidents by a beauty pageant organizer eight years ago, on social media, UML MP Pandey warned the government to bring a resolution in parliament if the government does not amend the law immediately.
Rights activists seek withdrawal of time limit for rape complai...
She said that even if the time limit is imposed, it would be appropriate to impose the time limit only from the day the victim opens up about the incident in public. MP Pandey lamented that the government has not been able to control the increasing incidents of sexual violence against women.
Similarly, NC MP Pushpa Bhusal demanded the government to give immediate justice to the victim as it was self-evident that the organizers of the beauty pageant had committed a crime. She also said that the government should not delay bringing those involved in the crime under investigation at any cost.
Likewise, CPN (Maoist Center) MP Amrita Thapa Magar urged the government to include the provision of immediate relief to the victims of sexual violence in the law. She noted that women in the entertainment and other sectors were being subjected to sexual violence, and urged the political parties and their sister organizations to take necessary steps to end it.
