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.
पुरा भिडियाे हेर्नकाे लागी माथिकाे फाेटाेमा दुइपटक क्लिक गर्नुहाेला ।
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.
In August, another 17-year-old girl from the same district was raped by Ahmed Miya, who got his friend to record the act on his mobile phone. By coincidence, a young man from their village saw the video on a phone in Qatar and alerted the girl's family. But instead of arresting the accused, powerful men in the village forced the girl to marry her rapist.
In many remote places, women are unable to even report to the police due to the geographical location. In this situation, the media can play a very important role in presenting what is happening in the society to the general public. Since some time, the media has been giving importance to women's issues. There have been incidents where the culprits have been apprehended following publication of news in the media.
Serious problem
Our government must move forward to treat violence against women as a serious problem. They must instruct the police to register and investigate every case that is brought to them and bring the perpetrators to justice. We cannot have peace in Nepal unless our government upholds the rights of our citizens to live without fear of violence at home, the workplace and public places. The government must publicly hold the police accountable for registering and investigating rape cases and amend its policies towards this end.
