Raute adolescent girls face rising digital violence

By Kamal Sharma, Dailekh, Dec. 17: Incidents of digital violence targeting adolescent girls and women from the Raute community are on the rise, highlighting serious dangers posed by the misuse of social media and digital platforms.

In May this year, Tapendra Shahi of Aathabis Municipality–3, Dailekh, recorded videos of Raute young women he encountered on a moving truck and uploaded them to TikTok without their consent, allegedly to gain online popularity. 

As the videos spread on Facebook, concerns were raised over violations of privacy and dignity, prompting a complaint at the Surkhet District Police Office. Police arrested Shahi and began an investigation under the Electronic Transactions Act. The Surkhet District Court later released him on bail of Rs 100,000 in July 2025, a decision that has drawn attention to the growing digital risks faced by Raute girls and women.

This was not the first such case. In May 2021, three men, including Chaman Gharti (Jogi) of Gurbhakot Municipality–9, Surkhet, were arrested after a video surfaced on social media showing a Raute minor being intoxicated and sexually assaulted in a hotel. 

The district court sentenced two of the accused to seven years in prison each and the hotel operator to three years. The case is currently under review at the High Court, said Ujjwal Dev Rawal, information office of the court. Police say the trend of filming Raute women without consent and sharing the content online under the guise of entertainment poses a serious threat. 

Police Inspector Rajan Bhattarai of the Surkhet District Police Office highlighted a rise in provocative, mocking and exploitative videos targeting Raute women in recent years. The Raute community traditionally follows a nomadic lifestyle with collective decision-making under the authority of community leaders. 

As contact with modern technology, mobile phones and digital media increases, limited digital literacy, lack of legal awareness, language barriers and unequal engagement with the wider society have made Raute women and girls particularly vulnerable.

Women’s and children’s rights activist Dil Kumari Chand stressed that digital violence is not a minor incident but a serious violation affecting dignity, mental health and identity.  Sharing photos or videos without consent, posting abusive comments, spreading fabricated stories or invading privacy constitutes cybercrime and must be stopped, she added. 

Hira Singh Thapa, Executive Director of SOSEC Nepal, which works closely with the Raute community, said digital abuse of Raute women has risen significantly. 

She warned that some individuals lure community members into being filmed and then post the content online to gain attention, causing lasting harm to their lives.