“Gender based violence has been found as widely prevalent during the conflict and the transition phase in Kailali, Banke, Dang, Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari, Dhanusha, Siraha and Morang districts,” said a research report prepared by Nepal Center for Creative Research with support from the UN Women. [break]
The research was done to understand prevalence and trend of gender-based violence in the districts during the conflict and the current transitional period.
According to the research, altogether 50 women were killed while 21 suffered rape/attempted rape during the conflict and transitional phase in the 10 districts. Four women committed suicide while nine were disappeared.
The report said the armed conflict accelerated the occurrence of gender based violence.
“The very process of conflict itself was embodied with such acts which either were gender based violence and/or they aggravate the occurrence of gender based violence and enacted mainly by the conflicting parties,” said the report.
The victims´ access to justice has also weakened during the conflict and transitional period. “…weakening of the justice system, from informal and local to the formal ones, and thus curtailing the victim´s access to justice,” said the report.
The report said violent activities against women continue even during the transitional period though the conflict has ended.
“A wide number of violent activities keep repeating even during the transitional period. While the method, target and means of orchestrating violence still remain similar in some ways, the non-state actors taking part in violent activities are different,” the report added.
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