Violence against women continues while response remains ineffective

By Nisha Rai,Dharan, Dec. 5:  On a daily basis, media and social networks are flooded with reports of rape and violence against women. Yet despite the state's earnest efforts to mitigate such social evils, their effectiveness in curbing these incidents remains ineffective. 

From mid-July to mid-November of the running fiscal year, 141 complaints related to domestic violence were reported in Dharan-Sunsari area police office, Deputy Superintendent of Police Navaraj Malla said.

Malla said that from mid-July to mid-November, 141 complaints of domestic violence were reported at the Dharan-Sunsari area police office. Of them, 10 complaints were related violence against men. 

According to Malla, among the total cases reported in the office, 82 have been successfully reconciled.

"Efforts have been made to reconcile the majority of the complaints we've received, and we have been successful in resolving most of them," added Malla.

During the fiscal year 2019/20, the office received 246 complaints, of them, 203 cases were reconciled. 

Similarly, in fiscal year 2020/21, the office successfully settled 95 cases out of the 201 complaints it received.

Likewise, in the fiscal year 2021/22, a total of 160 complaints of domestic violence and 100 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) were reported in the office. Of them, 96 cases of domestic violence and 75 cases of GBV were settled. 

In the fiscal year 2022/23, the office received 272 cases related to domestic violence and 157 cases concerning GBV. Among them, 115 cases of domestic violence and 110 cases of GBV were successfully reconciled.

Additionally, the distressing number of suicides stemming from the aftermath of domestic violence and other criminal activities was a matter of serious concern.

As per police statistics, there were 46 reported cases of suicide in Dharan during the fiscal year 2020/21, followed by 57 cases in the fiscal year 2021/22, and 40 cases in fiscal year 2022/23.

Police Inspector Ranjan Mishra said that an equal number of men and women were committing suicide. Domestic violence remains a primary cause leading to these tragic incidents, he added. 

Similarly, 20 cases of rape were reported in the fiscal year 2020/21, followed by nine cases in the fiscal year 2021/22, and 24 cases in the fiscal year 2022/23, said Mishra. 

From mid-July to mid-November of the current fiscal year, nine rape cases were reported in the police office. 

Despite the legal framework safeguarding women's rights, the daily increase in violence against women persists due to the practical challenges of implementing these rights.

The government has undertaken several initiatives to eradicate violence against women (VAW) by implementing strategies such as proportional inclusive representation, promoting gender equality, enhancing economic empowerment, ensuring equal property rights, facilitating women's access to justice, and expediting legal procedures.

However, despite these measures, the practical effectiveness in curbing such violence remains insufficient, resulting in a continued rise in VAW. 

Likewise, in September this year, Prabin Agarwal, the chairman of the board of directors at KK International School, was reported for sexually abusing a 12-year-old student of the same school.

The perpetrator has been arrested but subsequently released on bail. These cases only serve as representative examples.

According to the statistics of the Area Police Office in Dharan-Sunsari, there has been no decline in the crime meted out against women and girls. They continue to endure various forms of violence, including sexual exploitation and domestic abuse.

 Notably, there have been recent complaints from men regarding incidents of domestic violence as well.

Assistant Police Constable Rajendra Panchakoti from the Women's Cell at the Area Police Office in Dharan-Sunsari area said that in comparison to the last fiscal year, the initial months of the current fiscal year have experienced a higher number of complaints.

Panchakoti said that the majority of domestic violence complaints were filed by women, particularly detailing incidents involving restrictions on food or physical abuse, among other related issues.

Recently, a few men have also begun to lodge complaints about domestic violence, he said, adding, "In most cases, men file complaints where the money they earned from their foreign employment was misused by their wives, resulting in the loss of both assets and family."

Leela Bhujel, the programme chairperson of Voice of Children, said that the impact of such situations is felt within the family and the broader society, with children being predominantly affected due to the circumstances within their families.