Sabina (name changed) 17 years old still shudders when she remembers that old incident. Sabina from Dharan Sub-metropolitan City was sexually abused by her neighbor from a young age. She said that from the age of 9, her neighbor's uncle used to sexually abuse her on the pretext of showing her his mobile phone.

She never thought that the person she had been seeing since she was young would mistreat her like that. She also considered him as a father figure since he was the father of a friend she grew up with. Since their houses were nearby, there was constant contact. Sabina used to see him as a guardian and address him as uncle.

'When I went to play with my friend, my uncle would always call me to his room, sometimes on the pretext of asking me to bring him the keys and sometimes on the pretext of showing me his mobile phone,' she said, 'I didn't know that something was wrong with me. Later, I started to feel wrong and uncomfortable when he touched me. When I resisted, he would touch and kiss my private parts, saying, "You are like my daughter, what's the shame?" I started to feel afraid of my uncle and started running away from him.'

After the closure of schools during the Corona period, mobile phones were widely available in the hands of most children for online classes, and Sabina also got a mobile phone. But she never thought that she would be more at risk with that phone. She says, 'I was supposed to buy a mobile phone from home for online classes.' At that time, my sister opened a Facebook account. Uncle also sent me a friend request. Uncle said, "I have sent a request to you, accept it." I accepted the request out of fear.'

After that, he started constantly messaging and calling Sabina. She says, 'Sometimes he would call me at night, and when I didn't pick up the phone, he would come home and ask me why I didn't pick up the phone.' He started sending obscene videos in messages and sending messages using obscene words. Instead of not sending such videos, Sabina said that he would push her away.

Sabina said that she was raped when she was 13. Remembering that moment, she says, 'When I was in grade 8, my uncle called me on the pretext of bringing the keys to his house. I went to his house to bring the keys. When no one was home, he took me to a room, closed the door and made me lie on the bed. He made me take off my clothes. When I tried to scream, he covered my mouth.'

Sabina says with tears in her eyes, ‘Uncle threatened me and said that if you scream loudly, I will kill you and bury you here. Tears were flowing from my eyes due to fear, but no sound came out. The clothes I was wearing were scattered all over the floor. I was raped by threatening me. He threatened to kill me if I told anyone. I was afraid.’ According to

Sabina, after that, he started sending me frequent messages and calls, asking me to show my private parts, asking me to send nude photos and videos, and threatening me if I did not send them. ‘He started sending me sexually explicit videos and photos on Messenger and telling me to do the same. He started coming to my house when no one was there, coming into my room and forcing me. I was afraid and could not tell anyone at home. I was very scared. I used to hide in my mother's room as soon as my uncle came to my house,' she says.

Having endured abuse and rape for 9 years, she did not remain silent when she was raped again at the age of 14. She says, 'At the end of Chaitra 2081, my uncle took advantage of the fact that no one was at my house and raped me and threatened to kill me again. This time, I gathered the courage and told my friend two months later. My friend told the school's teacher. The teacher gave me the courage to tell her not to hide such things. Then, in Asad 2082, she went to the Area Police Office in Dharan and filed a report.

Khadga Bahadur Kerung is currently in Jhumka Jail on charges of rape. The Sunsari District Court has sentenced him to 12 years in prison on charges of rape.

Recently, with the increasing use of social media, its negative effects have also started to be seen. A study by Voice of Children has shown that incidents of online exploitation targeting girls are increasing. According to a study conducted under the Cyber ​​Safety Project conducted by the organization, in the last four years, 122 girls in Sunsari, Koshi Province alone have been exposed to various types of exploitation through social media.

According to the organization, as contact with acquaintances and strangers increases through platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, girls are at risk of emotional, sexual, and financial exploitation. In most cases, it is said that there is a tendency to initially befriend, gain trust, propose love, and later blackmail.

16-year-old Jhuma (name changed) from Itahari was also raped by a stranger. Jhuma, who was born in an ordinary family, became friends with a stranger on Facebook while she was studying in class 12. Jhuma's family has 6 members. Her father used to run a city safari and her mother was busy with household chores. After finishing college, she would chat with the same stranger all day long, and the friendship turned into a love affair.

She says, 'I received a request from a Facebook ID named Avinash. From the outside, he seemed like a good looking guy, so I accepted the request. We started talking. Even though he was from Itahari, I had never seen him. After talking slowly, he proposed to me. I also accepted his proposal. One day, he texted me and said, "How long will we talk on the phone?" Now we should meet. I couldn't say no either.'

They planned to meet like this and the meeting took place on Saturday. Jhuma said that although they had initially planned to meet in the park, they finally met at the hotel on his own insistence. 'When I told him not to meet at the hotel, he emotionally blackmailed me by saying that he did not love me and did not trust me, and I could not say no,' she said.

She could not refuse the boy's advances and decided to meet at the hotel. Jhuma said that he had sent the name and address of the hotel and that she had reached the hotel by taking a safari. When she reached the hotel room, there were two other boys there. 'After that, I was very scared. When I said that I would go home, Avinash forced me to stay, saying that they were my friends. He said that it would be okay, they would eat and leave. There was also food and beer in the room,' she said, 'I was sitting. At that time, they forcibly grabbed me and started taking off my clothes. All three of them raped me while gagged. At first, I couldn't tell anyone. Later, I gathered the courage and told my friend everything. My friend told the sister of the organization, and then I went to the police with her and filed a complaint.'

Today is the time of digital technology. Social media has changed people's lifestyles. Children, especially girls, are being affected more by it. While its proper use can provide knowledge, skills and opportunities, its excessive use can lead to addiction and serious problems, says Prakash Maite of Voice of Children.

Similarly, he said that many of the girls included in the study were unable to disclose the incidents of exploitation to their families or relevant agencies. Victims are forced to remain silent due to social fear, shame and threats from criminals.

According to Maite, the main reasons for this are lack of digital literacy among children, weak parental supervision and insufficient information about safe internet use. "Children are quickly becoming accustomed to technology, but they do not have enough knowledge about its safe use," he said. "Another thing is that when families do not monitor their children, children are unknowingly becoming victims of child sexual abuse."

14-year-old Maya (name changed) from Itahari-5 was studying in class 10. Her parents had bought her a mobile phone for online classes and studies. Initially, she used the mobile as a means of education, but gradually her attention shifted to platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

Her father worked as a daily wage worker. Due to poor financial conditions, her mother also worked as a cleaner in other people's houses all day. Since her parents were busy all day, she did not have enough supervision. After coming home from school, she would be alone at home. Initially, she would watch videos only for a few hours a day. She was attracted by interesting videos, dance songs and posts from friends. Gradually, the desire to increase likes, comments and followers began to awaken. In the process, she also started talking to strangers on Facebook. According to Maya's parents, she was addicted to her phone. Whether she knew them or not, she would talk to anyone, send requests, and post photos on TikTok.

Within a few months, her lifestyle changed completely. She would use her mobile phone late at night and talk to people on Facebook all night. One day, a stranger called her to meet her. 'I lied to my family and went out on the pretext of meeting a friend.' That stranger called her to a hotel in Itahari and proposed sexual intercourse,' she said. 'I also readily accepted that offer.'

According to her, the man had tempted her to buy a new phone and new clothes. After four months, her stomach became bigger than a normal person. When the neighbors became suspicious, her mother also started asking what was really going on. Then, when she underwent a video X-ray for a pregnancy check at the medical center, the report showed that she was four months pregnant. ‘After that, I was like falling off a cliff,’ says Maya’s mother. ‘When I heard that my 14-year-old daughter was pregnant, I wanted to die or live.’ She said that her mind was like a blank slate, both because of the fear of how to present herself in society and because of the anxiety about what would happen to her daughter’s life.

‘If I had given my daughter time and monitored her, this day would not have come,’ she said. ‘Now I have nothing left but regret.’

In today’s digital age, social media has become a part of children’s daily lives. Although its use is useful for online classes, entertainment, and contact with friends, excessive use is taking the form of addiction, and it has also made it easier to commit heinous crimes like online sexual abuse, cyberbullying, and blackmailing, says social activist and advocate Premkala Rai. Social media is affecting the physical, mental, and social development of children.

Girls are at risk of emotional, sexual, and financial exploitation through platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. She said that heinous crimes like human trafficking in the name of love traps, job lures, attractive salaries, and networking businesses are also increasing using social media.

She says that it is necessary to understand how addiction develops in children. Likes, comments, and notifications on social media activate the 'dopamine hormone' that gives a feeling of pleasure in the brain. This instills the habit of using the phone frequently. Gradually, this habit gets out of control and children become busy with screens for hours.

Parents, teachers and society all have an important role to play in solving this problem or getting rid of this addiction. Stakeholders say that it is necessary for parents to limit children's screen time, involve them in alternative activities (sports, reading, creative work) and create an environment for open communication. Advocate Rai says that schools also need to teach about digital literacy and responsible use.