Move Forward In Rape Cases In Nepal : Roshan Kumar Jha
In Nepal, three rape cases are reported every week. Many more cases go unreported. Women and girls are not safe whether they are at home, school, street, public transport or the workplace.
The victims of rape usually keep the incident a secret for reasons of prestige, honour and their future. Such an attitude on the part of the victim allows the culprit to roam free without any fear of condemnation or punishment. Even those that do get apprehended do not get severe punishment.
Rape cases on increase
In recent days, rape cases have reached epidemic levels in the Terai region because the perpetrators not only go scot free, but are often rewarded for their crime.
Two years ago in Mahottari, a young woman was forced into a sugarcane field and sexually abused by Farmud Ansari and Murduj Ansari. They were arrested, but instead of punishing them, the locals padlocked the girl's house and expelled her from the village for having "corrupted" the local youths. After seeking help from the police and political leaders, the girl got a compensation of Rs. 40,000, half of which was taken by the mediating all-party leaders as a donation for their 'community development fund'.
Last year, a 17-year-old girl in Mahottari's Bairganiya village was raped by 25-year-old Ranjit Das who also filmed the incident and circulated the minute-long video via mobile and YouTube. When the local authorities were informed about the crime, instead of punishing the accused, they collaborated with the local bigwigs to force the victim to marry the perpetrator. Das is now in custody, but the video is being sold via phone, and has even reached Qatar and Malaysia.
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