67 Baitadi women die in cliff falls in four years

By Gokarna Dayal,Baitadi, Dec. 5: While a nationwide 16-day campaign against gender-based violence is gaining momentum in urban areas, women in places like Baitadi continue to lose life falling off a cliff while collecting fodder for cattle.

In the last four years alone, 67 women in Baitadi district have tragically lost their lives after falling from cliffs while collecting grass. While the national campaign aims to raise awareness about gender-based violence and promote women’s safety, rural women continue to work in risky conditions.

These women often lack access to safety measures to prevent falls while working in difficult terrain.

Last Wednesday, Parbati Saud, 31, from Suranya Rural Municipality-8, who was grazing goats, tragically fell off a cliff and lost her life. According to Baitadi District Police, in the last four years, 67 women have died in cliff falls  while collecting grass.

Inspector Baldev Badu, the Information Officer at the District Police Office, reported that between fiscal years 2021/22 and 2024/2025, 67 women in the district have died after falling off cliffs.

In fiscal year 2021/22 alone, 16 women died in such accidents. The numbers continued to rise, with 21 fatalities in 2022/23, 13 in 2023/24, and 14 in 2024/25. 

In the current fiscal year, from July to October, three women have already lost their lives in similar accidents.

In Baitadi’s rural areas, women have long been responsible for collecting grass, a task that has become even more dangerous as many men leave for foreign employment. 

Unfortunately, there is no insurance for these women, nor are there any safety measures like ropes to help prevent falls. 

Local organisations focused on women’s rights have yet to offer substantial support beyond slogans. 

Even the families of those who die in such accidents receive no compensation and there is no system for providing medical treatment to those who are injured.

Ishwari Mahar, a local woman’s rights advocate, expressed her concerns about the lack of support for women working in these hazardous conditions. 

She lamented that no programmes are being run in the villages to protect female labourers or to provide them with any financial safety nets.

Sukuntala Saud, the deputy mayor of Shivanath Rural Municipality, also voiced her frustrations. 

shared that, in her municipality alone, two women have died in the past two years after falling from cliffs while collecting grass. 

She emphasised that no women’s rights organisations have come to the municipality to discuss or provide solutions to these problems.

While national campaigns against gender-based violence continue to gain momentum in cities, the reality in rural areas like Baitadi is starkly different. 

Women continue to face preventable fatalities while performing essential tasks for their families. 

Local governments, as well as national organisations, must recognise such challenges faced by rural women and ensure that appropriate safety measures and support systems are put in place to protect them.