Khadka, who studied in a school at her native village, got admitted in the sixth grade at Siddheshwar Secondary School, Koteshwar. The Sapkota family embraced her and accepted her as a daughter. [break]
However, it all changed after Khadka grew up and once fatherly Sapkota -- a non-gazetted officer at the Regional Education Directorate, Bhaktapur-- started making sexual advances to her. Khadka, now 17, kept mum fearing that her dream of acquiring better education would be shattered. However, she had to break her silence when her worst fears came true after Sapkota raped her 20 days ago.
“When I came out of the bathroom after changing my clothes to go to school, he pulled my hands, pushed me against the sofa and raped me,” she recalled the incident at the Children and Women in Social Service and Human Rights (CIWIS) hostel. “I cried and tried to push him away but to no avail.”
Sapkota´s elder son leaves for college early in the morning while the younger one goes to school at quarter to nine. His wife Sapana, who runs a children home, also leaves by nine but he had stayed behind the day he raped Khadka.
She remained silent for a week for fear that she would be thrown out the house. She thought it would cost her dearly if she broke her silence. But the trauma and horror of the incident broke her down and she told her school friends about the incident. CIWIS then rescued her from the house and handed Sapkota over to the Baneshwar Police.
Sapkota would kiss her whenever he found her alone. Unaware of his evil intentions, she took it as a fatherly affection. “He would wait back and offer me a ride on his motorcycle to school. He would drop me to the school despite my refusal,” she reminisced.
The exploitation continued as he would often call her to the drawing room and try to kiss her. “He would warn me to not tell his wife about the incident,” she revealed.
The trauma of the incident haunts her and she has not been able to concentrate on studies even at the CIWIS hostel.
CIWIS has filed a complaint of rape against Sapkota at the Kathmandu District Court. He is currently in police custody.
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