Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel noted that gender-based violence is not just an individual incident but a serious problem arising from social structures and inequality.
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Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel has said that all state agencies should actively engage in controlling gender-based violence in Nepal and protecting victims.
Addressing a program organized by the Sancharika Group on Wednesday on the occasion of the 16-day campaign against gender-based violence, Minister Kharel stated that gender-based violence is not only an individual incident but also a serious problem arising from social structures and inequality. According to him, the government has been prioritizing prevention of violence, rehabilitation of victims and ensuring justice.
Minister Kharel emphasized that a just society cannot be built without ensuring equal rights and opportunities and emphasized that ending gender-based violence should be taken forward as a national goal. According to him, as physical, mental, economic and online digital violence against women is increasing, the government is continuously working to end impunity, make the legal process faster and more effective and create a safe environment.
At the program, Minister Kharel said that women active in the field of journalism have played an important role in the campaign for social change and that their leadership in politics also needs to increase. He suggested that both the state and society should create an environment to bring women to the policy-making level.
Radhika Aryal, Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, said that there has been a significant increase in digital violence incidents in Nepal. She mentioned that with the increase in internet access, new forms of online abuse and digital violence are emerging. ‘Digital technology has not only created opportunities, but also risks,’ she said, ‘it has become inevitable for the state to take more stringent steps for the safety of citizens.’
Kamala Panthi, President of the Sancharika Group, made public the data on gender-based violence incidents registered across the country, pointing out that the current situation is worrying. According to her, 17,496 domestic violence incidents and 2,253 rape incidents have been registered so far. In these incidents, 79 percent of the victims are women and 10.4 percent of the victims are girls.
Panthi said that the fact that in 91.99 percent of the cases, the accused is someone known to the victim reflects the deep distortions of society. She cited the recent horrific example of a 13-year-old girl being raped in Morang, stating that the situation is extremely alarming and that society needs to seriously introspect.
