Bring Strict Law Against Rapists

Last time I raised an issue of the Epstein files, which disclosed how the world leaders may also have been involved in sex trafficking. However, this is yet to be proved. The Epstein case indicates that girls or women are vulnerable everywhere around the world. And Nepal is not an exception. For the last couple of weeks, the Nepali media has been continuously publishing news reports about Inisha BK, who was a victim of gang rape and murder. There are different protests being organised asking for justice. 

Inisha was just a 16-year-old girl who aspired to be a doctor but unfortunately, her dream was shattered by some insensitive and foolish boys who were accused of being rapists and murderers. Not only this, her parents had lost their son a decade ago and now their only child had also gone because of someone's brutality. Inisha is only an example; there are several cases of rape every day in Nepal. Since 2018, Nirmala Panta's parents have been waiting for justice for their daughter, who was raped and murdered like Inisha. 

Rising rape cases 

The available data shows that on average, seven women and girls are being raped daily in the country. Annually, the rape cases have increased by roughly 20 per cent. These are only reported cases; in most of the situations, victims cannot raise their voice because of different social or familial reasons.  A UNICEF report states that more than 370 million girls and women or one in eight, experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18. Females are struggling worldwide for their safety. 

Even if rape is not socially acceptable at any cost, why men are prone to this unacceptable act? There are several research studies conducted to find the answer of this question. Their findings suggest that primarily it is a production of patriarchal society where men feel proud to execute violence, power and control over women rather than just satisfying their sexual desire. Other reasons include psychological factors, substance abuse, racism and poverty.

Some people may think that it is only a problem in some poor Asian or African countries but in the developed countries such as France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, New Zealand or America, the rape cases are equally reported. In fact, it is a worldwide issue. What is surprising to learn is that countries with stronger legal protections often have higher reported rape figures.

Different countries across the world have strong laws against sexual assault to make their societies a safer place, particularly for women. For instance, a rapist in India has a punishment of life imprisonment to death sentence, for a similar case, a death sentence is applied in Pakistan as well, and China has a death sentence or castration. In Saudi Arabia, the punishment for rape is a public beheading. In North Korea, the rapists get a death sentence by firing squad. Similarly, they are shot in the head in Afghanistan. 

Other countries where there is a death penalty for rapists are Egypt and Iran. The USA itself has life imprisonment for such criminals. When it comes to Nepal, there is only imprisonment, which ranges from 10 to 25 years according to the age of the victims and the nature of rape, such as gang rape, marital rape or incestual rape. This sort of punishment does not seem to be as strong as in other countries mentioned here.  Although there is a high demand for the death penalty by lawmakers and the general public, it has not been passed into law yet. 

In the context of Nepal, some strategies can be used that may help to decrease rape cases. First of all, it is very important to empower girls. They must not feel inferior to boys. When they sense some kind of filthy intention of boys, they must stop them then and there. There is a tendency to blame victims, e.g., questioning their clothing or objecting to their openness, which the girls must realise is not true. If there is some kind of physical or verbal defense training, it will be very helpful. 

Most of all, sex education is very important in our schools. The students must receive age-appropriate content related to human sexuality. If they are well informed regarding their body, they may not want to engage in unhealthy experimentation with sex. Coming back to Inisha's case, one of the boys is said to be her boyfriend; can a boyfriend be so ruthless? Whatever statement he gave to the police is not convincing and what is more important is that his statement and Inisha's postmortem report do not match. 

Public skepticism 

Currently, there has been a news story that one of the four alleged boys' fathers said that if his son is found guilty, he can be punished by hanging and he will not have any objection to this. As a father, he has made a big statement but the public seems to be quite skeptical about whether he is telling the truth. The case is still under investigation. 

I truly hope Inisha BK's case should not be pending like Nirmala Panta's or dismissed like many others'. She must get justice sooner rather than later. Every girl has a right to feel safe. Now we are on the verge of forming the new government that must review the law related to the punishment system for rapists. At least life imprisonment needs to be introduced, if not the death penalty. If there is a strong punishment system, a rapist will always think twice before committing a crime.

   (The author is the director of Vidya Shilpa Academy, Damak, Jhapa.)