Anbeshi 2011: Status and Dimension of Violence against Women, Reality Revealed

i
"Anbeshi"
Status and Dimension of
Violence against Women,
Reality Revealed
2011
WOREC
Balkumari, Lalitpur
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

ii
"Anbeshi"
Status and Dimension of Violence
against Women, Reality Revealed
A year book on Violence Against
Women 2011
Written By : Retika Rajbhandari
Edited by : Dr. Binayak Rajbhandari
Layout design: Ramesh Bhandari
Cover page design: Prismark Advertising and Marketing
Publication year: 2011
WOREC Nepal
All materials and data published in this book may be used with
due acknowledgement
This book publication was supported by Danish Embassy
Published by: WOREC
P.O.Box 13233 Kathmandu Nepal
Phone: 977-01-2123124, 5006373, 5006474
Fax: 977-01-5006373
Email: ics@worecnepal.org
Website: www.worecnepal.org
©
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
Table of Contents
FOREWORD ix
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
CHAPTER I 18
REVISITING ANBESHI'S HISTORY 19
1.1 Introducing Anbeshi 19
1.2 Objectives of Anbeshi 20
CHAPTER II 21
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 22
2.1. Introduction 22
2.2. VAW in Nepal 24
CHAPTER III 25
VAW DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 26
3.1. Patterns of violence and prevalence rates 26
3.2. VAW and five Development Regions 26
3.3. Types of violence 28
CHAPTER IV 31
VAW BY TYPE OF PERPETRATORS 32
4.1. Domestic violence 32
4.2. Social violence 33
4.3. Rape 35
4.4. Murder 38
4.5. Sexual abuse 39
4.6. Trafficking 39
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER V 41
AGE OF SURVIVORS 42
5.1 Age 42
5.2 Below 16 age group 43
5.3 The 16-25 age group 44
5.4. The 26-35 age group 44
5.5 The 36-45 age group 45
5.6 The above 45 years age group 46
CHAPTER VI 48
EDUCATION AND VAW 49
6.1 Educational background of the survivor 49
6.2. Violence against illiterate groups 51
6.3. Violence reported by literate survivors 52
6.4. Violence reported by survivors with primary education 53
6.5. Violence reported by survivors with secondary education 53
6.6. VAW survivors with higher secondary education 54
CHAPTER VII 56
MARITAL STATUS AND VAW SURVIVORS 57
7.1. Marital status of the survivor 57
7.2 Married women 58
7.3. Unmarried women 59
7.4. Separated Women 60
7.5. Violence and Widows 61
CHAPTER VIII 62
OCCUPATION AND VIOLENCE 63
8.1. Occupation of the survivor and types of violence 63
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

8.2. Agriculturists and types of VAW 65
8.3. Household work and types of VAW 65
8.4. Laborer and VAW 66
8.5. Business and VAW 67
8.6. Social work and types of VAW 67
8.7. Women who do “nothing” and VAW 68
CHAPTER IX 69
IMPACTS OF VIOLENCE ON SURVIVOR 70
9.1. Types of impact on VAW survivors 70
9.2. Impact of domestic violence 71
9.3. Impact of social violence 71
9.4. Impact of rape 71
9.5. Impact of sexual abuse on survivors 72
9.6. Impact of trafficking on survivors 73
9.7. Health and VAW survivors 74
CHAPTER X 76
ETHNICITY OF SURVIVORS 77
10.1 Ethnicity and VAW 77
10.2. Violence among Brahman VAW survivors 78
10.3. Violence among Chhetri VAW survivors 79
10.4. Violence among terai dalits 79
10.5. Violence among hill dalits 80
10.6. Violence among Hill Janajati 81
10.7. Violence among terai non-dalit 81
10.8. Violence among marginalized groups 82
10.9 Violence among terai janajati 83
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

LIST OF CHARTS
Chart 3.1 VAW in Five Development Regions 27
Chart 3.2 Types of Violence 29
Chart 3.3 VAW According to Perpetrators 30
Chart 4.1 Domestic Violence by Type of Perpetrators 32
Chart 4.2 Social Violence by Type of Perpetrators 34
Chart 4.3 Rape by Type of Perpetrators 35
Chart 4.4 Murder by Type of Perpetrators 38
Chart 4.5 Sexual Abuse by Type of Perpetrators 39
Chart 4.6 Trafficking by Type of Perpetrators 40
Chart 5.1.a Distribution of Age of Survivors 42
Chart 5.1.b Types of VAW by Age Group 43
Chart 5.2 Distribution of VAW Survivors below 16 years 43
Chart 5.3. Distribution of VAW Survivors in the 16-25 Age Group 44
Chart 5.5 Distribution of VAW Survivors in the 36-45 Age Group 45
Chart 5.4 Distribution of VAW Survivors in the 26-35 Age Group 45
Chart 5.6 Distribution of VAW Survivors above 45 years 46
CHAPTER XI 85
BACKGROUND OF PERPETRATORS 86
11.1. Background of perpetrators 86
11.2. Ethnicity of perpetrators 87
11.3. Sex of perpetrators 88
CONCLUSION 91
RECOMMENDATIONS 94
REFERENCES 100
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

Chart 6.1.a Education of VAW Survivors 49
Chart 6.1.b Types of VAW and Education 50
Chart 6.2 Types of Violence against Illiterate Groups 51
Chart 6.3.a Types of Violence Reported by literate Survivors 52
Chart 6.3.b. Illiterate Groups Compared with Literate and Educated Groups 52
Chart 6.4 Types of Violence Reported by Survivors with Primary Education 53
Chart 6.5 Types of Violence Reported by Srvivors with Secondary Education 54
Chart 6.6 Violence Reported by VAW Survivors with Higher Secondary Education 54
Chart 7.1.a. Marital Status of the Survivors 57
Chart 7.1.b Type of Violence Reported by Survivors with Various Marital Status 58
Chart 7.2 Types of Violence among Married Women 59
Chart 7.3 Types of Violence among Unmarried Women 60
Chart 7.4 Violence Reported by Survivors who have been Separated 60
Chart 7.5 Violence Reported by Widows 61
Chart 8.1.a Occupation of the Survivors 63
Chart 8.1.b Occupational Status and Types of VAW 64
Chart 8.1.c. Types of VAW by Traditional and Modern Occupations 64
Chart 8.2 Agriculturists and Types of VAW 65
Chart 8.3 Household Work and Types of VAW 66
Chart 8.4 Laborer and Types of VAW 66
Chart 8.5 Business and Types of VAW 67
Chart 8.6 Social Work and Types of VAW 67
Chart 8.7 Doing “Nothing” and Types of VAW 68
Chart 9.1.a Types of Impact on VAW Survivors 70
Chart 9.1.b. Different Types of Impact on VAW Survivors 70
Chart 9.2 Impact of Domestic Violence 71
Chart 9.4 Impact of Rape on Survivors 72
Chart 9.3. Impact of Social Violence 72
Chart 9.5 Impact of Sexual Abuse on Survivors 73
Chart 9.6 Impact of Trafficking on Survivors 73
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

Chart 9.7 Health Check up of Survivors 74
Chart 10.1.a Ethnicity of survivors 77
Chart 10.1.b Types of VAW and Ethnicity 78
Chart 10.2 Violence among Brahman VAW Survivors 78
Chart 10.3 Violence among Chhetri VAW survivors 79
Chart 10.4 Violence among Terai Dalits 80
Chart 10.5 Violence among Hill Dalits 80
Chart 10.6 Violence among Hill Janajati 81
Chart 10.7 Violence among Terai non-dalit 82
Chart 10.8 Violence among Marginalized Groups 82
Chart 10.9 Violence among Terai Janajati 83
Chart 11.1 Age of Perpetrators 86
Chart 11.2 Ethnicity of perpetrators 87
Chart 11.3 Sex of Perpetrators 89
ACRONYMS
DV Domestic violence DV
BS Bikram Sambat
ICIS WICCE International Cross-Cultural Exchange
VAW Violence Against Women
WDOs Women Development Offices
WOREC Women's Rehabilitation Centre
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

FOREWORD
This year’s Anbeshi once again stresses how complex the issue of violence against
women is. The research shows how VAW is intricately linked with larger ideas of
masculinity and femininity and their manifestation in extremely private spaces such
as one’s home or public spaces such as the work place. The ways in which social
violence is effected through a woman’s body and sanctioned by the state makes
violence against women a form of political violence. In this background, the active
role of the women’s movement can help create an environment for the state to
address VAW issues comprehensively and ingently.
Violenceagainstwomenasacoreviolationofhumanrightsofwomenhastoemerge
and reemerge in various discourses around VAW. The timing could not have been
moreaptthannowforthewomen’s rights activistsin Nepal. Thecountryispresently
engaged in a process of socio-economic and political transformation, which will
only be completely accomplished once the culture of respect for women’s rights
is established. The women’s movement must have a specific influence in pushing
the women’s agenda from a transnational feminist and women’s rights perspective
especially during the constitution writing process. We are positive that the findings
in Anbeshi will certainly guide the political leaders of the new emerging Nepal to
be cognizant of the reality of Nepali women and at the same time, will ensure its
reflection in the new constitution.
I would like thank Rupa Shrestha who was involved in the process of documentation
and compilation of the data. It is no easy task to systematically organize the vast
amount of field inputs that have been made available by different VAW affected
women from all over Nepal. I would also like to thank Retika Rajbhandari for her
hard work in writing this report.
Baburam Gautam
Executive Director
WOREC Nepal
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

1
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Peace time violence is as debilitating as that of war (Scheper-
Hughes and Bourgois, 2003). This statement resonates deeply
with all the women who have allowed the WOREC Anbeshi team
to document the violence they have suffered throughout the year.
Nepal is trying to build peace after a decade long armed conflict.
ThemostrecentdevelopmentoftheappointmentofDr.BabuRam
Bhattarai as the new Prime Minister suggests a positive direction
to the current stalemate that Nepal has witnessed over the past
one and a half years in terms of writing the constitution. In this
larger complicated political process, women in Nepal still are only
at the fringe. The marginality of the Nepali women could not be
better stated than through the sharing of the everyday violence
they face. Domestic violence is by far the most sensitive form of
violence that Nepali women encounter. Peace is in the process
of being materialized in the Nepali polity. However, the peace
that the Nepali women envision appears to be only a far-fetched
dream.
Violence against women is a manifestation of unequal power
relations between women and men. It is both a result and a cause
of gender inequality. It refers to violent acts that are primarily or
exclusivelycommittedagainstwomen.TheUnitedNationsGeneral
Assembly defines VAW as “any act of gender based violence that
results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm
or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion
or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or
in private life” (United Nations, 1993). People all over the world
have been increasingly vocal about VAW. However there are still
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

22
numerous instances when VAW is swept under the carpet. The
primary reason for such covering up has been the acceptability
of VAW due to cultural norms. Perpetrators of VAW do not just
imbibe violent behavior, but simultaneously learn that these
behaviors are socially acceptable. These learnings are reinforced
as society and the state fail to punish perpetrators of VAW. At the
coreisthefactthatVAWtakesplaceandtoleratedbecausewomen
and men do not have equal access to power in most societies.
In this light, Violence against Women is disturbingly a growing
trend in Nepal. It manifests as a continuum and encompasses
an array of abuses targeted at women and girls throughout their
life cycles. Silence around the issue has been a characteristic
feature of VAW in Nepal. Although VAW has long been on the
international agenda, it has only recently become important in
the Nepali gender policy context. Women in Nepal have been
continuously raising their voice against violations of women’s
rights. But it was only in 2008 that Nepal witnessed the passage of
the Domestic Violence and Punishment Act 2065 accompanied by
the declaration of BS 2067 (2010) as anti-VAW year. Although now
that there is a law against domestic violence, the state obligation
should expand to protection of women in diverse family forms,
and incorporate measuresbeyond prosecution of privateactors to
encompass further protection from violence, including provision
of legal support and health, safety, and shelter requirements for
the survivor, and to develop the obligation to prevent VAW by
addressing its root causes.
1. VAW and Five Development Regions
A total of 1569 cases were collected by WOREC Nepal for the
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

3
3
purpose of analysis of VAW. The highest percentage of VAW was
reported from the Eastern development region accounting for
66%, followed by the Central development region with 12% and
the Mid western development region with 11%. Likewise, the Far
Western development region accounted for 10% and the Western
region accounted for 1% of the total cases.
2. Types of Violence
a. Domestic violence
Domestic violence accounts for 64% (1002 out of 1569 cases)
of the total reported cases. Likewise, 17% accounts for social
violence, 8% rape, and 4% murder. Unequal power relations in
both the context of a family as well as the State; and persons in
authority comprise the context for violence. Husbands (74%)
and family (26%) account for all perpetrators of domestic
violence.
b. Social violence
1. Social violence is the second most frequent type of violence.
A total of 266 cases or 17% of the total VAW cases were under
this category. 91% of social violence was perpetrated by
neighbors while 9% was by others (25 out of 266 cases).
2. For the purpose of Anbeshi, allegations of witchcraft fall
under social violence. This year we saw a total of 48 cases
of witchcraft accusations. Among these cases, 11 cases were
perpetrated by family members and husband whereas rest of
the cases have were perpetrated by non family people.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

44
c. Rape
Rape accounts for the third highest category of VAW. In all, 124
(8%) cases were reported. Neighbors are responsible for 73
percent of the reported cases, others and unidentified (15%)
while family members (8%) and husbands (4%) combined are
responsible for 12 percent of the cases.
d. Murder
Murder was reported in 47 cases and represented a relatively
small proportion (3%) of the total VAW cases. 51.1% (or 24 out
of 47 cases) of all reported cases of murders are committed by
husbands, 17.0% (or 8 cases) was committed by other family
membersand23.4%(or11cases)wascommittedbyneighbors.
e. Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse accounts for 64 cases (4%) of the total reported
cases of VAW. 53.1% (34 of 64 cases) of sexual abuse is
committed by neighbors. Husbands, other family members,
and other/unidentified individuals account for 15.6% (10
cases), 10.9% (7 cases), and 20.3% (13 cases) of sexual abuse
respectively.
f. Trafficking
Regarding trafficking of women, the data reveals that the
highest number of cases (61%) (14 of 23 cases) is carried out
by neighbors, followed by other/unidentified (35%), and family
member (4%).
3. Age group and VAW
While VAW cuts across all age groups, according to this year’s
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

5
5
Anbeshi, it appears to be concentrated on women below 46 years
of age. The most affected are in the 26-35 age group followed by
the 16-25 age group. Almost 40% are below the age of 25 and
7% are below the age of sixteen, 34% are in the 26-35 age group,
followed by 33% in the 16-25 age group, 16% in the 36-45 age
group. 8% are above 46 years of age.
4. Education and VAW
Literate women (41%) (630 of 1569 cases) constitute the highest
category of VAW survivors. The women in the illiterate group
accounted for about 18% of all survivors of violence. 15% of
the total reported cases of violence occur among women with
secondary education, followed by 11% among women with
primary education, 11% among women with higher secondary
education, and 4% among unidentified category.
5. Marital status and VAW
The highest percentage of all reported cases of violence is found
among married women accounting for 77% (1223 of 1569 cases).
The group of unmarried women account for 15% followed by
separated women (4%) and widow (3%). The findings once again
demonstrate that home is not always a safe space for women.
As Veena Das points out, home actually becomes a terrorizing
spaceforwomenwhodon’t“properly”dotheirjob ofmaintaining
an ideal home (Das, 2008). Although accurate information on
the extent of domestic violence is difficult to obtain because
of extensive underreporting, the data do bring to the fore that
married women within their own homes are prone to most
violence.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

66
6. Occupation and VAW
Women engaged in agriculture (42%) reported the most number
of cases of violence against women. It is not a surprise for Nepal
given that it is predominantly an agrarian economy. Agriculture
is followed by household work (24%), labor (11%), and women
who do “nothing” (10%). Note modern occupations such as
government service, non government service, social work, and
business make up about 9% of the total.
7. VAW survivor impacts
Four different types of impact were identified: social, economic,
physical, and mental. The mental effect (65%) on women is the
highest under all categories of VAW, followed by physical effect
(22%), social effect (8%), and economic effect (5%).
8. Ethnicity of survivors
Irrespective of ethnicity, domestic violence stands out as the
most reported form of VAW reiterating the fact that home is the
most unsafe space for Nepali women. The highest number of
cases are reported by the Hill Janjati (23%), followed by Chhettri
(17%), and Terai Janjati (16%). Hill Dalit, Brahmin, and Terai non-
Dalit all reported 11% of the total cases respectively. Terai Dalit
was found to report 9% of the total cases and other marginalized
groups only reported 2%.
9. Background of perpetrators
The perpetrators in the age group 26-35 account for 30% of all
perpetrators, followed by the age group 36-45 which accounts
for 21%. 16-25 years account for 15% and the age group above
46 years accounts for 11%. Below 16 years accounts for less than
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

7
7
10. Conclusion
Tounderstandthewomenandtheviolencetheyface,itisimperative
to focus on how the state constructs its policies on women related
issues. Beyond the policies, it is equally imperative to understand
the society’s predominant notion on women. Gendered violence
has often gone unrecognized or has been treated as “normal” not
just by the state but also by people who experience it. Therefore,
the focus of the women’s movement and any anti VAW initiatives
has to be on the experiences of those that have suffered VAW. It
is necessary to focus on how women themselves understand and
derive meaning out of those negative experiences. Women must be
in center stage in order to find a common solution to end violence
against women.
Especially in the context of post conflict peace process, it becomes
extra necessary to understand the changing context of violence.
Understanding women’s notion of peace in order to understand
what constitutes as violence and peace for the women themselves
will become a segue to capturing the essence of violations and
creating specific measures to address them.
11. Recommendations
1. Systematic studies on different forms of violence against
one percent of the cases. Finally, 23% of the perpetrators’ age is
unidentified. The highest percentage of perpetrators are from
Hill janajatis consisting of 19% followed by an equal percentage
of Chhetri and Terai janajatis, both at 16%. Terai non dalits and
Brahmins are each found to be 12% of the total perpetrators.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

88
women across a wider range of women is urgently needed
to better understand the perspective of the women who
go through these negative experiences.
2. Home is the most unsafe space for women especially
when it comes to domestic violence. This is a critical issue
that needs further addressing. It becomes imperative to
investigate the reasons for women who choose to continue
living under threat of domestic violence.
3. ThepositivestepfromthegovernmentofNepaltoestablish
safe houses in different parts of Nepal must be applauded
and its close collaboration with the Women Development
Offices (WDOs) is a step towards sustainability of this
support system for survivors.
4. Since almost 50% of women below the age of 16 are
survivors of rape, it is pertinent that young girls receive
extra attention in the healing process. As the findings in
the recent research on rape shows that “for those with
psychological problems, there was no support to enable
them to find coping mechanisms and heal,” (WOREC/
ISIS WICCE -forthcoming publication) women have been
further isolated and at time even forced to live in hiding.
5. The prevalent impunity for reported cases of VAW should
end immediately. Impunity in Nepal has been further
complicated in the post-war phase in which perpetrators
affiliated with different political parties are protected by
influential leaders.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

9
9
6. The research shows that mental health has emerged as a
primary health impact for the survivors of VAW. There is
an urgent need to train community level health workers
as psycho social counselors who are sensitive to issues
of VAW and who can readily identify symptoms of VAW
and counsel survivors.
7. VAW is still under reported in Nepal. Efforts to document
VAW cases by various feminist organizations should
continue so that there is continuous pressure on the state to
take it upon themselves the responsibility to reduce VAW.
A sustained and systematic action from various feminist
organizations will certainly pressure the state to cultivate
political will to eradicate VAW.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

1010
sfo{sf/L ;f/f+z
zflGt ;dosf] lx+;f o'4n] h:t} sdhf] ® agfpg] vfnsf] x'G5
-:s] k®–xu; ® a'uf] {O;, @))#_ . of] egfO{n] ljut Ps jif{df
ePsf dlxnf lx+;fsf 36gfx¿ ;d] 6L cGj] ifL jif{ k':ts tof®
ug{ cf] ®] ssf cGj] ifL 6f] nLnfO{ ;3fpg lx+;f k|efljt dlxnfx¿nfO{
pT;fx k|bfg ub{5 . g] kfn Ps bzs nfdf] ;z:q åGåkl5 zflGt
:yfkgfsf] k|s[ofdf ®x] sf] 5 . ;+ljwfg n] vgsf] nflu dfluPsf]
klxnf] @ jif{sf] ;do ;dfKt ePsf] 8] 9 jif{ lalt;s] sf] kl5Nnf]
cj:yfdf 8f= afa'®fd e§®fO{nfO{ gofF k|wfgdGqL lgo'lQm ul®g'nfO{
Ps ;sf®fTds kIfsf] ¿kdf lng ;lsG5 . olt nfdf] hl6n
®fhg} lts k|ls|ofdf g] kfnL dlxnfx¿sf] cj:yf h:tfsf] t:t}
®x] sf] 5 . o:tf] cj:yfdf ®x] sf g] kfnL dlxnfx¿n] x®] s lbg lx+;f
vk] ® afFRg' k®] sf] 5 . dlxnfx¿n] a9L dfqfdf cfˆg} 3®kl®jf®sf
JolQmaf6 lx+;f em] Ng' k®] sf] cj:yf ;a} eGbf ;+j] bgzLn lx+;fsf]
¿k xf] . g] kfn zflGt k|s[ofdf ®x] sf] 5, t® klg g] kfnL dlxnfx¿n]
rfx] sf] h:tf] zflGt cem w] ®} 6f9f 5 .
dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;f dlxnf ® k'?ifaLr ®x] sf] c;dfg zlQm
;DaGwn] ubf{ ePsf] xf] . of] n} lËs lje] bsf] sf®0f ® k|ltkmn
b'j} xf] . o;n] d'Vo ¿kdf dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;fTds sfo{nfO{
hgfpF5 . ;+o'Qm ®fi6«sf] dxf;efsf] kl®efiffdf æ;fdflhs lnËsf
cfwf®df ul®g] ;Dk"0f{ sfo{x¿ h;af6 dlxnfnfO{ zf®Ll®s, dfgl;s,
;fdflhs ® of} lgs ¿kdf cf3ft k'Ub5Ù 8®, wfs, wDsL, cf] xf] bf ®
x} l;otsf] k|of] u u®L To; lsl;dsf] cf3ft k'¥ofpg] sfo{ ul®G5Ù
jf ank"j{s dlxnfsf] :jtGqtf xgg ub} { JolQmut ® ;fdflhs
hLjgdf k|efljt ub{5Æ eg] To:tf ;a} sfo{x¿nfO{ dlxnflj?4sf]
lx+;f elgG5 -;+o'Qm ®fi6« ;‹, !((#_ . ;+;f®df dlxnfdfly x'g]
lx+;fsf lj?4df cfjfh p7fpg] x¿sf] ;+Vof a9b} uO®x] sf] 5 . olt
x'Fbfx'Fb} klg ljleGg sf®0fn] dlxnf lx+;fsf] d'2f n's] ® ®lx®x] sf] 5 .
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

11
11
o;f] x'g'df ;f+:s[lts dfGotfsf] cfwf®df lx+;fnfO{ :jLsfg'{' d'Vo
sf®0fsf] ¿kdf ®x] sf] 5 . lx+;fsf kL8sx¿n] lx+;fTds Jojxf®
ug] { dfq geO{ ;fdflhs ¿kdf :jLsfl®Psf dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;fsf
Jojxf®x¿ Ps} ;fy l;Sb5g . ;dfh ® ®fHon] kL8sx¿nfO{ ;hfo
lbg g;Sbf o:tf Jojxf®x¿nfO{ a9fjf ldNb5 . ufF7L s'®f s] xf]
eg] w] ®} h;f] ;dfhdf zlQmdfly dlxnf ® k'?ifsf] c;dfg kx'Frsf
sf®0fn] g} dlxnfdfly lx+;f x'G5 ® To;nfO{ ;lxG5 .
of] kl®k|] Ifdf g] kfndf dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;f lrGtfhgs ¿kdf a9b}
uPsf] 5 . o;n] dlxnf tyf lszf] ®Lx¿ lhGbuLe® lx+;fsf] lzsf®
x'G5g eGg] s'®f lrq0f ub{5 . g] kfndf dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;fsf]
d'2fdf r'k nfu] ® a:g' Pp6f ljz] iftf ag] sf] 5 . dlxnfdfly
x'g] lx+;f cGt®f{li6«o d'2f ePsf] w] ®} ;do eO;s] sf] ePtf klg
g] kfnL n} lËs gLltdf o;n] ev{®} dfq dxŒj ®fVg yfn] sf] 5 .
g] kfnsf dlxnfx¿n] dlxnf clwsf® xggsf] lj?4df nuftf®
cfjfh p7fpFb} cfO®x] sf 5g . To;sf] kl®0ffd :j¿k ;g @))*
df 3®] n' lx+;f ® ;hfo P] g @)^% kfl®t x'g'sf ;fy} lj=;+= @)^&
nfO{ dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;f lj?4sf] jif{ 3f] if0ff ul®Psf] lyof] ] . xfn
3®] n' lx+;f lj?4sf] sfg'g cfO;s] sf] ePtf klg To;df ljljw
kfl®jfl®s cj:yfsf dlxnfx¿sf] ;+®If0fsf] bfloTj ®fHon] axg
ug'{ kg] {Ù tyf kL8snfO{ b08 ;hfosf ;fy} kLl8t jf k|efljtnfO{
k'gM lx+;fdf kg{af6 arfpg cfjZos pkfox¿, h:t} kLl8tnfO{
sfg'gL, :jf:Yo, ;'®Iff, af; pknAw u®fpg', nufot dlxnfdfly x'g]
lx+;fsf] cGTosf nflu To;sf] d'Vo sf®0fnfO{ lgd"{n ug] { pkfox¿
ljsf; ug] { ®fHosf] bfloTjnfO{ ;dfj] z ul®g' cfjZos 5 .
!= dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;f / % ljsf; If] qx¿
dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;fsf] ljZn] if0f ug{sf nflu cf] ®] s g] kfnn]
hDdf !%^( j6f 36gfx¿ ;+sng u®] sf] lyof] . dlxnfdfly
x'g] lx+;fsf 36gfdWo] ;a} eGbf a9L k"jf{~rnaf6 ^^ k|ltzt,
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

1212
To;kl5 !@ k|ltzt dWodf~rn ® !! k|ltzt dWo klZrf~rnaf6
;+sng ul®Psf lyP . To:t} !) k|ltzt ;'b"®–klZrdf~rn ®
! k|ltzt klZrdf~rnaf6 ;+sng ul®Psf] lyof] .
@= lx+;fsf k|sf/x¿
s_ 3/] n' lx+;f
dlxnf lx+;fsf s"n 36gfx¿dWo] ^& k|ltzt -!%^(
36gfx¿dWo] !))@ j6f_ 3®] n' lx+;f ®x] sf] kfOof] .
To:t} !& k|ltzt ;fdflhs lx+;f, * k|ltzt anfTsf®
® $ k|ltzt xTof ePsf] kfOof] . kl®jf® ® ®fHosf
;Gbe{df ljBdfg c;dfg zlQm ;DaGw ® clwsf® k|fKt
JolQmx¿n] lx+;fsf nflu jftfj®0f agfpFb5g . 3®] n'
lx+;fsf kL8sdWo] >Ldfg -&$Ü_ ® kl®jf®sf ;b:o
-@^Ü_ ePsf] kfOof] .
v_ ;fdflhs lx+;f
!= dlxnf lx+;fdWo] ;fdflhs lx+;f bf] ;|f] k|sf®sf] ® w] ®}
h;f] x'g] lx+;f ePsf] kfOof] . dlxnf lx+;fdWo] hDdf @^^
j6f cyf{t !& k|ltzt o; k|sf®sf] lx+;f cGtu{t ePsf]
kfOof] . ;fdflhs lx+;fdWo] (! k|ltzt l5d] sLaf6 ® (
k|ltzt cGoaf6 ePsf] b] lvof] .
@= cGj] ifLdf af] S;Lsf] cf®f] ksf 36gfx¿ ;fdflhs
lx+;f cGt{ut kb{5 . o; jif{ af] S;Lsf] cf®f] ksf] $*
j6f 36gfx¿ ePsf] kfOof] . To;dWo] !! j6f 36gfx¿
kl®jf®sf ;b:o ® >Ldfgaf6 ® afFsL 36gfx¿ kl®jf®
aflx®sf JolQmx¿af6 ul®Psf] kfOof] .
u_ anfTsf/
anfTsf®sf] 36gf ;+Vof t] ;|f] :yfgdf ®x] sf] 5, h'g
!@$ j6f -*Ü_ 5 . anfTsf®sf] 36gfdWo] &# k|ltzt
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

13
13
l5d] sLaf6, !% k|ltzt cGo ® klxrfg gePsf] af6 ePsf]
kfOof] eg] kl®jf®sf ;b:oaf6 -*Ü_ ® >Ldfgaf6 -$Ü_
u®L hDdf !@ k|ltzt 36gf ePsf] b] lvof] .
3_ xTof
cGo lx+;fsf] bfFhf] df xTof sd ePsf] kfOof] , h'g $&
j6f -#Ü_ ®x] sf] 5 . h;dWo] %!=! k|ltzt -$& dWo] @$
j6f_ 36gf >Ldfgaf6, !&=) k|ltzt -* j6f_ kl®jf®sf
;b:oaf6 ® @#=$ k|ltzt l5d] sLaf6 ePsf] b] lvof] .
ª_ of} g b'Jo{jxf/
;+slnt 36gfdWo] ^$ j6f -$Ü_ of} g b'Jo{jxf®sf] 36gf
®x] sf] kfOof] . To;dWo] %#=! k|ltzt -^$ dWo] #$j6f_
of} g b'Jo{jxf® l5d] sLaf6 ePsf] b] lvof] . >Ldfg, kl®jf®sf
cGo ;b:o, ® cGo÷klxrfg gv'n] sf] JolQmaf6 qmdzM
!%=^ k|ltzt -!) j6f_, !)=( k|ltzt -& j6f_ ® @)=#
k|ltzt -!# j6f_ of} g b'Jo{jxf®sf] 36gf ePsf] b] lvof] .
r_ a] rljvg
dlxnf a] rljvgsf] ;DaGwdf, ;a} eGbf w] ®} ^) k|ltzt
-@# df !$ j6f_ 36gfx¿ l5d] sLaf6, To:t} #% k|ltzt
cGo÷klxrfg gv'n] sf] ® $ k|ltzt kl®jf®sf] ;b:oaf6
ePsf] kfOof] .
#= pd] / ;d"x / dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;f
dlxnf lx+;f ;a} pd] ® ;d"xsf] dlxnfx¿dfly x'g] ePtf klg
o; jif{sf] cGj] ifLdf w] ®} h;f] dlxnf lx+;f $^ jif{eGbf sd pd] ®
;d"xdf a9L ®x] sf] kfOof] . To;df klg @^–#% pd] ® ;d"xsf
dlxnfx¿ a9L dfqfdf k|efljt ePsf] kfOof] eg] To;kl5
!^–@% pd] ® ;d"xsf dlxnfx¿ ®x] sf] kfOof] . lx+;f k|efljt
dlxnfdWo] $) k|ltzt @% jif{ d'lgsf ® & k|ltzt !^ jif{
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

1414
d'lgsf ®x] sf] b] lvof] . #$ k|ltzt @^–#% pd] ® ;d"xsf, ##
k|ltzt !^–@% pd] ® ;d"x, !^ k|ltzt #^–$% pd] ® ;d"x ®
* k|ltzt $^ jif{eGbf dflysf dlxnfx¿ ®x] sf] kfOof] .
$= lzIff / dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;f
;+slnt 36gfx¿dWo] ;a} eGbf w] ®} cyf{t $! k|ltzt -!%^(
df ^#)_ lx+;f k|efljt dlxnfx¿ ;fIf® ®x] sf] b] lvof] . lg®If®
dlxnfx¿ !* k|ltzt, dfWolds txsf] lzIff kfPsf] !% k|ltzt,
k|fylds txsf] lzIff kfPsf !! k|ltzt ® pRr dfWolds txsf]
lZfIff kfPsf !! k|ltzt dlxnfx¿dfly lx+;f ePsf] b] lvof] . $
k|ltzt lx+;f k|efljt dlxnfx¿sf] z} lIfs cj:yf v'n] sf] lyPg .
%= j} jflxs cj:yf / dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;f
j} jflxs cj:yfsf] cfwf®df x] bf{ o; ljZn] if0fn] ;a} eGbf w] ®} cyf{t
&& k|ltzt -!%^( df !@@#_ ljjflxt dlxnfx¿ lx+;faf6 k|efljt
ePsf] kfOof] . To:t} !%Ü cljjflxt dlxnf, $Ü >Ldfg;Fu 5'l§P®
a;] sf ® #Ü ljwjf dlxnfx¿dfly lx+;f ePsf] kfOof] . o; tYofÍn]
km] l® klg s] b] vfpF5 eg] dlxnfx¿ cfˆg} 3®df klg ;'®lIft 5} gg .
ljgf bf;sf] egfO{ cg';f® 3®nfO{ gd'gf 3® agfpg grfxg] x¿n]
ubf{ 3® g} dlxnf lx+;f ug] { ynf] aGg k'u]sf] 5 -bf;, @))*_ .
3®] n' lx+;fsf 36gfx¿sf] ;TotYo ;"rgf kfpg hl6n 5 lsgeg]
o;;Fu ;DalGwt 36gf Tolt ;f®f] aflx® Nofpg] ul®+b} g ® klg o;
k|ltj] bgn] ljjflxt dlxnfx¿ ;a} eGbf a9L lx+;f k|efljt ePsf]
s'®f cufl8 NofPsf] 5 .
^= k] zf / dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;f
;a} eGbf a9L -$@Ü_ s[lif k] zfdf cfj4 ePsf dlxnfx¿ lx+;f
k|efljt ePsf] kfOof] . g] kfn s[lif k|wfg b] z ePsf] n] ubf{{ of] s'g}
crDdsf] ljifo xf] Og . To:t} s[lif afx] s 3®fo;L sfd -@$Ü_,
dhb'®L -!!Ü_ ® s'g} klg sfo{df ;+nUg gePsf] -!)Ü_ dlxnfx¿
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

15
15
lx+;f k|efljt ePsf] kfOof] . cfw'lgs k] zf h:t} ;®sf®L ;] jf,
u} ®;®sf®L ;] jf, ;fdflhs sfo{ ® Jofkf®df cfj4 ePsf lx+;f
k|efljt dlxnfx¿ ( k|ltzt ®x] sf] kfOof] .
&= dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;fsf c;/x¿
dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;fn] dlxnfx¿df rf® lsl;dsf M ;fdflhs,
cfly{s, zf®Ll®s ® dfgl;s c;®x¿ x'g] u®] sf] yfxf eof] . tL
c;®x¿dWo] ;a} eGbf a9L dfgl;s -^%Ü_, To;kl5 zf®Ll®s
-@@Ü_, ;fdflhs -*Ü_ ® cfly{s -%Ü_ ®x] sf] kfOof] .
*= k|efljtx¿sf] hftLotf
lx+;f k|efljt s"n dlxnfx¿dWo] ;a} eGbf w] ®} kxf8] hghftL -@#Ü_
®x] sf] kfOof] . To;kl5 If] qL -!&Ü_ ® t®fO{ hghftL -!^Ü_ ®x] sf]
kfOof] . kxf8] blnt, a|fDx0f ® t®fO{ u} x| blnt a®fa® dfqdf
-!!Ü_ ®x] sf] kfOof] . t®fO blnt (Ü ® cGo cNk;+Vos ;d"xsf
@Ü ®x] sf] kfOof] .
(= kL8ssf] k[i7e"ld
;a} eGbf w] ®} -#)Ü_ kL8sx¿ @^–#% pd] ® ;d"xsf ®x] sf] kfOof] .
To;kl5 #^–$% pd] ® ;d"xsf -@!Ü_, !^–@% pd] ® ;d"xsf -!%Ü_
® $^ jif{eGbf dflysf -!!Ü_ ®x] sf] b] lvof] . !^ jif{eGbf sd
pd] ®sf] kL8s ! k|ltzt eGbf sd ®x] sf] kfOof] . cGtdf @#Ü
kL8sx¿sf] pd] ® yfxf x'g ;s] g . ;a} eGbf a9L -!(Ü_ kL8sx¿
kxf8] hghfltsf ®x] sf] kfOof] eg] If] qL ® t®fO{ hghftL b'j}
a®fa® ;+Vofdf -!^Ü_ ®x] sf] kfOof] . To;} u/L t®fO{ u} x| blnt ®
a|fDx0f b'j} a®fa® -!@Ü_ sf] ;+Vofdf ®x] sf] kfOof] .
!)= lgisif{
dlxnf ® pgLdfly x'g] lx+;fnfO{ a'‰g ®fHon] dlxnf;Fu ;DalGwt
d'2fx¿df agfpg] gLltx¿nfO{ s] nfpg' cfjZos x'G5 . gLltx¿sf
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

1616
cnfjf, plQs} dxTjk"0f{ dlxnfx¿;DaGwL ;fdflhs d'No, dfGotf
klg x'G5g . ;fdflhs n} lËs lx+;fnfO{ ®fHon] dfq xf] Og lx+;f
k|efljtx¿n] ;d] t ;fdfGo ¿kdf lnG5g cyf{t To;nfO{ lx+;fsf]
¿kdf ln+Ob} g . t;y{ dlxnf cfGbf] ng tyf dlxnf lx+;f lj?4sf]
s'g} klg cu|;®tf lx+;f k|efljt dlxnfx¿sf cg'ejx¿df s] lGb|t
x'g'kb{5 . To:tf dlxnfx¿n] cfˆgf gsf®fTds cg'ejx¿nfO{
s;®L a'‰b5g ® To;sf] s] cy{ lgsfNb5g eGg] s'®fdf s] lGb|t x'g'
h?®L x'G5 . dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;fsf] cGTosf nflu ;femf ;dfwfg
lgsfNg dlxnfnfO{ s] Gb| ljGb'df ®flvg' kb{5 .
vf;u®L åGåkZrft zflGt k|lqmofsf] ;Gbe{df lx+;fsf] kl®jlt{t
;Gbe{ ® ¿kx¿nfO{ a'‰g' cltl®Qm cfjZostf ePsf] 5 .
dlxnfx¿sf nflu lx+;f ® zflGt s] xf] eGg] s'®f yfxf kfpgsf
nflu lx+;f ® HofbtLsf sf®0fx¿ v'6ofpg' ® ltgnfO{ ;Daf] wg
ug] { ljz] if pkfox¿ tTsfn klxNofpg' kb{5 .
!!= ;'emfjx¿
s_ lx+;f h:tf] gsf®fTds cg'ejx¿af6 u'h] |sf dlxnfx¿sf]
af®] df lj:t[t ¿kdf a'‰g ljljw kl®l:ylt÷kl®k|] Ifsf
dlxnfx¿nfO{ ;d] 6L dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;fsf ljleGg
¿kx¿af®] qmda4 cWoogx¿ ul®g' h?®L 5 .
v_ vf;u®L 3®] n' lx+;fsf ;Gbe{df dlxnfx¿sf nflu 3®
;aeGbf c;'®lIft :yfg xf] / yk ;Daf] wg ul®g'kg] { of]
Ps ;+j] bgzLn d'2f xf] . 3®] n' lx+;f vk] ® 3®leq a;L
®fVg] dlxnfx¿sf sf®0fx¿af®] cWoog ul®g' h?®L x'G5 .
u_ g] kfnsf ljleGg efudf ;'®lIft cfjf; :yfkgf ug] { g] kfn
;®sf®sf] ;sf®fTds sbd :jfut of] Uo 5 ® dlxnf
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

17
17
ljsf; sfof{no;Fu ul/g] ;xsfo{ k|efljtx¿sf nflu
;xof] uL x'g'sf ;fy} lbuf] kgtkm{ klxnf] sbd xf] .
3_ ;f] x| jif{ d'lgsf em08} %)Ü lszf]/Lx¿ anfTsf®sf] lzsf®
ePsfn] , lszf] ®Lx¿nfO{ cltl®Qm :jf:Yo÷k®fdz{ ;] jf
pknAw u®fOg' cfjZos 5 .
ª= ph'®L ul®Psf dlxnfdfly ePsf lx+;fsf 36gfx¿dfly x'g]
u®] sf] b08xLgtfsf] cGTo x'g'kb{5 . hgo'4kl5sf] cj:yfdf
ljleGg ®fhg} lts kf6L{df cfj4 kL8sx¿nfO{ k|efjzfnL
g] tfx¿n] g} ;+®If0f ugf{n] g] kfndf b08xLgtfsf] cj:yf
emg} hl6n x'Fb} uO®x] sf] 5 .
r= o; cWoogn] lx+;f k|efljt dlxnfx¿df d'Votof dfgl;s
:jf:Yodf c;® ®x] sf] b] vfPsf] 5 . To;} n] dlxnfdfly x'g]
lx+;fsf] d'2fdf ;+j] bgzLn ;d'bflos :jf:Yo sfo{stf{x¿
® dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;fsf] nIf0f ;lhn} kQf nufpg
;Sg]nfO{ dgf] ;fdflhs ljdz{sf] tflnd lbOg' h?®L
b] lvPsf] 5 .
5= g] kfndf dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;f cem} klg aflx® cfpg
;ls®x] sf] 5} g . dlxnf clwsf®df sfo{®t ljleGg
;‹;+:yfx¿n] clen] vg ul®®x] sf] dlxnf lx+;fsf
36gfx¿nfO{ lg®Gt®tf lbg'k5{, h;n] ubf{ dlxnf lx+;f
Go"g ug{ ®fHonfO{ lg®Gt® ¿kdf bafa lbg ;lsG5 .
dlxnfdfly x'g] lx+;f cGTosf nflu dlxnf clwsf®df
sfo{®t ;‹;+:yfx¿n] lbuf] ® Jojl:yt cleofg ;~rfng
u®L /fHodf dlxnf lx+;f cGTo ug]{ OR5fzlQm hufpg'
kb{5 .
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER I
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

19
Violence against Women Year BookA Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
CHAPTER IREVISITING ANBESHI'S HISTORY
1.1 Introducing Anbeshi
Violence against women (VAW) has remained one of the most
significant but least talked about issues that Nepal faces today.
Although articles on VAW do appear in daily news papers and
periodicals, there is a huge gap in systematic documentation
of VAW at the national level.
With an attempt to lessen the gap, since 2008, as a year book
of WOREC Nepal, Anbeshi is striving to shed light not only on
various forms of violence that are already widely discussed but
also on lesser known forms. Anbeshi has sincerely attempted
to be the voice of women who face violence everyday. In
addition, Anbeshi also examines women’s resistance strategies
and collective efforts to subvert the established norms so that
women are no longer seen only as survivors but as change
agents in their community.
The documentation process was initially triggered by the Royal
Coup of February 2005, which had led to increase violence
and human rights violation of every form, including VAW.
The documentation process gained momentum since 2007,
after WOREC Nepal started releasing a report every four
months and organizing media interactions on the trends and
patterns of VAW. As a continuation of the quarterly updates,
WOREC in 2008 launched a year book on VAW, which was the
first attempt to compile cases of VAW from various sources,
including WOREC’s own documentation from all its district
chapters; cases reported in the media; cases documented by
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

20
other NGOs; and cases that came to Women’s Development
Offices throughout Nepal.
1.2 Objectives of Anbeshi
1.2.1 To map out the scenario of VAW in Nepal
and to pressure the government to formulate
relevant laws, policies, and action plans towards
eliminating VAW.
1.2.2 To identify key areas that will ensure survivors’
access to justice and lobbying the government to
effectively address those areas.
1.2.3 To identify the needs of VAW survivors and
advocate for relevant support mechanisms.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER II
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

22
CHAPTER II VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
2.1. Introduction
Peace time violence is as debilitating as that of war (Scheper-
Hughes and Bourgois, 2003). This statement resonates
deeply with all the women who have allowed the WOREC
Anbeshi team to document the violence they have suffered
throughout the year. Nepal is trying to build peace after a
decade long armed conflict. The most recent development
of the appointment of Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai as the new
Prime Minister suggests a positive direction to the current
stalemate that Nepal has witnessed over the past one and a
half years in terms of writing the constitution. In this larger
complicated political process, women in Nepal still are only at
the fringe. The marginality of the Nepali women could not be
betterstatedthanthroughthesharingoftheeverydayviolence
they face. Domestic violence (DV) is by far the most sensitive
form of violence that Nepali women encounter. Peace is in the
process of being materialized in the Nepali polity. However,
the peace that the Nepali women envision appears to be only
a far-fetched dream.
Violence is a phenomenon that varies in its presence, its
character, and its severity. Therefore, the need is to analyse
the ideology of violence, try to assess how and why various
acts of violence are repudiated, ignored, denied, praised, or
glorified (Jackman, 2002). Physical violence such as injury,
disfigurement, bodily alteration, functional impairment,
physical restraint or confinement and even death, infringe on
our basic desire for physical survival and preservation of bodily
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

23
integrity and autonomy. The psychological impacts include
fear, anxiety, anguish, shame, or diminished self-esteem.
The material outcomes include destruction, confiscation, or
defacement of property or the loss of earnings; and the social
outcomes comprises of public humiliation, stigmatization,
exclusion, imprisonment, banishment or expulsion, which are
all highly consequential and sometimes devastating (Jackman,
2002). Violence can have a prolonged effect often enduring
long after physical injuries have healed.
Violence against women is a manifestation of unequal power
relations between women and men. It is both a result and a
cause of gender inequality. It refers to violent acts that are
primarily or exclusively committed against women. The United
Nations General Assembly defines VAW as “any act of gender
based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical,
sexual or mentalharmorsufferingtowomen,including threats
of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty,
whether occurring in public or in private life” (United Nations,
1993). People all over the world have been increasingly vocal
about VAW. However there are still numerous instances
when VAW is swept under the carpet. The primary reason for
such covering up has been the acceptability of VAW due to
cultural norms. Perpetrators of VAW do not just imbibe violent
behavior, but simultaneously learn that these behaviors are
socially acceptable. These learnings are reinforced as society
and the state fail to punish perpetrators of VAW. At the core is
the fact that VAW takes place and tolerated because women
and men do not have equal access to power in most societies.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

24
2.2. VAW in Nepal
Violence against Women is disturbingly a growing trend in
Nepal. It manifests as a continuum and encompasses an array
of abuses targeted at women and girls throughout their life
cycles. Silence around the issue has been a characteristic
feature of VAW in Nepal. Although VAW has long been on the
international agenda, it has only recently become important in
the Nepali gender policy context. Women in Nepal have been
continuously raising their voice against violations of women’s
rights. But it was only in 2008 that Nepal witnessed the
passage of the Domestic Violence and Punishment Act 2065
accompanied by the declaration of 2010 (BS 2067) as anti-
VAW year. Although now that there is a law against domestic
violence, the state obligation should expand to protection of
women in diverse family forms, and incorporate measures
beyond prosecution of private actors to encompass further
protection from violence, including provision of legal support
and health, safety, and shelter requirements for the survivor,
and to develop the obligation to prevent VAW by addressing its
rootcauses.Thestateshouldbecarefulnottoequatedomestic
violence (DV) to VAW, and must define the broad range of
women’s experiences of violence within familial relationships
as well as outside, being cognizant of the multiple layers of
discrimination that combine to heighten the vulnerability of
women and their experience of violence. Equating DV with
VAW will homogenize the diverse experiences of women,
and fragment the experience of each individual woman by
neglecting women’s experience of violence in the public
sphere.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER III
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

26
CHAPTER III VAW DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
3.1. Patterns of violence and prevalence rates
Tracing back the findings from Anbeshi 2008 to present,
it becomes obvious that VAW in Nepal follows a peculiar
pattern with domestic violence as the most reported form
of VAW. Hence, for many Nepali women home becomes an
extended space of fear and domination. However, there are
other severe forms of VAW that have lower reporting levels,
but are extremely severe.
WOREC Nepal has consistently collected data on VAW in
order to contribute to the broader goal of tackling VAW. An
institutionalized and regular collection of VAW has enabled
the issue to get required visibility and also made contributions
towards making it impossible to deem VAW as a personal,
private, local or isolated event. The intention is not just a
mechanical documentation but to create a push towards
making the state more responsible to prevent violence by
formulating and implementing appropriate laws for VAW
and also ensuring that all concerned parties address the
complexities of this critical issue.
3.2. VAW and five Development Regions
A total of 1569 cases were collected by WOREC Nepal for the
purpose of analysis of VAW. The highest percentage of VAW
wasreportedfromtheEasterndevelopmentregionaccounting
for 66 percent, followed by the Central development region
with 12 percentand the Mid western development region with
11 percent. Likewise, the Far Western development region
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

27
accounted for 10 percent and the Western region accounted
for 1 percent of the total cases (Chart 3.1). Note that the
maximum number of cases reported is from the Eastern region
similar to the findings of past three Anbeshis.
Chart 3.1 VAW in Five Development Regions
As stated elsewhere, such trend is not only due to alarming
prevalence of VAW in the East but also due to WOREC’s
presence in the region for more than two decades. WOREC’s
extensive work on women’s rights in the East has encouraged
women to break their silence and seek justice. In addition,
Eastern Nepal is far ahead in comparison to Western regions in
terms of infrastructure and level of education and awareness.
The five development regions as a geographic category are
based on a specific ideology of the center and the periphery.
Kathmandu, the capital is in the central region and every
other place is in relation to Kathmandu. In order to devolve
power and strengthen the sub national authorities, the
Nepali state under the Late King Birendra’s initiative in the
early 1970s divided Nepal into five development regions.
65%
12%
1%
12%
10%
Region
Eastern
Central
Western
Mid-western
Far-western
Region of Survivor
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

28
However, the paradox is that the division is based on the
politics of geography that maintains Kathmandu- the capital,
as the center further reinforcing the centralized structure of
the Nepali nation state.
In the four years of WOREC’s documentation of VAW cases, it
has become clear that the pattern of reporting of VAW cases
in the five development regions maps on to the ideology of
centreversusperiphery.VAWcasesarereportedthemostfrom
the Eastern region, which is clearly the most developed part
of the country if one is to exclude the bubble of Kathmandu
valley.ThelatekingMahendra’s massiveindustrialinvestments
in the East did bring, albeit temporary, prosperity in the region.
The region boasts infrastructural development in terms of
schools, industries etc that the Mid and the Far West still only
dream to obtain. In this light, the Eastern region witnesses
rigorous reporting of VAW cases because state’s development
intervention has been the most in the region, which has
enabled the inhabitants to increasingly live with dignity and
be assertive about their rights.
3.3. Types of violence
The encounter with domestic violence has been a fact of life
for Nepali women. The Anbeshi this year again reveals this
established fact. Domestic violence accounts for 64 percent
of the total reported cases. Likewise, 17 percent accounts for
social violence, 8 percent rape, and 4 percent murder. Unequal
power relations in both the context of a family as well as
the State and persons in authority comprise the context for
violence.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

29
64%8%
4%
3%
1%
17%
3%
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Murder
Trafficking
Social violence
Other
Chart 3.2 Types of Violence
Essentially, Nepali women have been victims of intimate
violence. As the data on Chart 3.3 suggest, the husbands
and other family members are reported to be the primary
perpetrators. In addition, social violence is perpetuated by
neighbors,thatispeoplewhonormallyinteractswitheveryday.
Our data reinforce the larger ongoing global discussion on
sexualviolenceandthetypeofperpetratorsinvolved.AsGavey
(2005) points out, statistics of sexual violence reveal that in
most cases the perpetrator is usually someone known or even
intimate with a woman rather than a stranger. Therefore, it
only becomes obvious that one has to look at how a home
functions in order to understand domestic violence. According
to Veena Das, a prominent South Asian anthropologist who
works on “gender, violence, and female subjectivity, home is
a space of many domesticities. Different members of the same
householdexperiencehomedifferently”(Das,2008:292).The
home is usually the place of masculine dominion in which the
man expects the woman’s labor to secure the peace he desires
Type of Event
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

30
(Price 2002). “Home thus can become a terrorizing space for
women who don’t “properly” do their job of maintaining an
ideal home“ (Das, 2008: 292).
Chart 3.3 VAW According to Perpetrators
Perpetrators
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER IV
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

32
Husband
74%
Family member
26%
CHAPTER IV VAW BY TYPE OF PERPETRATORS
4.1. Domestic violence
Out of the total 1569 cases documented at WOREC Nepal,
domestic violence accounts for a total of 1002 cases (64%)
making domestic violence the single biggest category of
VAW (Chart 4.1). Husbands (74%) and family members (26%)
account for all perpetrators of domestic violence.
Chart 4.1 Domestic Violence by Type of Perpetrators
Domestic violence includes violence that takes place in one’s
own home: polygamy, dowry-related abuses, denial of food
and lodging, battering, allegations of witchcraft and torture,
character assassination, and other forms of discrimination
and mental torture.
Women from all ethnic groups, classes, ages, and geographical
areas suffer from domestic violence. Past Anbeshis have
continuously pointed this out and thetrend continues this year
as well. Many feminists have pointed out that women tend
Domestic Violence
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

33
to blame themselves for domestic violence since they have
internalized their husband’s accusations of failing to create
an ideal home. Others cannot leave abusive relationships
since their social networks derive from their position as wives
(Abraham 2000; Gelles & Strass 1988; Hoff, 1990).
However, there are more variables at play. Women continue
to stay in abusive relationships because there is no other
outlet for women. Since majority women are not economically
independent, it becomes impossible to get out of a marriage
and try to live independently. In addition, those who
courageously get out of abusive relationships continue to face
social stigma of being single that women think more towards
reconciliation to resolve the issue of domestic violence rather
than separate.
Our research continues to suggest that domestic violence has
continued to intensify even after the armed conflict is over in
Nepal. Almost stagnant post-conflict economy has increased
economic marginalization and hardship for women in various
ways. A sudden increase in lack of economic opportunities
and ever increasing inflation in the country has forced women
to seek employment mostly in the informal sector thereby
increasing women’s vulnerability to trafficking and sexual
slavery.
4.2. Social violence
Social violence is the second most frequent type of violence.
A total of 266 cases or 17 percent of the total VAW cases were
under this category. Ninety One percent of social violence was
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

34
91%
9%
Neighbor
Other & Unidentified
perpetrated by neighbors while 9 percent was by others (25
out of 266 cases) (Chart4.2). The fact that there is no reporting
of social violence by the husband and family may be the result
of the definition of social violence, that is, violence outside
the family. Social violence includes discriminatory practices
based on caste, acid spraying, labor exploitation, allegations
of witchcraft, threats, verbal abuse, character assassination,
and feeding of urine and feces.
Chart 4.2 Social Violence by Type of Perpetrators
Social Violence
For the purpose of Anbeshi, allegations of witchcraft fall
under social violence. This year we saw a total of 48 cases
of witchcraft accusations. Among these cases, 11 cases are
perpetrated by family members and husband whereas rest
of the cases have been perpetrated by non family people. It
is not surprising that the women from the most marginalized
communitiesorthosewomen withtheleastpowerandagency
are more often the survivors of allegations of witchcraft. In
other words, women who are in the bottom rung of social
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

35
hierarchy become targeted for witchcraft allegations. These
allegations are not an isolated event but usually follow many
instances of physical, sexual and/or verbal abuse. Note that
such allegations are mostly linked with gender based factors
such as sense of supremacy, traditional opinions on the role
of each family member, issues regarding land ownership,
economic dependency, etc.
4.3. Rape
Rape accounts for the next highest category of VAW. In all,
124 (8%) cases were reported. Neighbors are responsible for
73 percent of the reported cases, others and unidentified
15 percent, while family members (8%) and husbands (4%)
combined are responsible for 12 percent of the cases (Chart
4.3). There is a very little reporting of rape by husbands.
Inadequate understanding of marital rape could be an
important factor behind this low figure.
Chart 4.3 Rape by Type of Perpetrators
Husband
4% Family member
8%
Neighbor
73%
Other &
Unidentified
15%
Rape
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

36
In order to understand the context of marital rape, it is
important to bring into discussion notions of consent that
Veena Das shed light on through her work. According to Das
(2008), “the woman’s consent to male violence has a taken
–for-granted character, which explains why marital rape has
been most difficult to legislate in most liberal regimes” (293).
Within a marriage, a woman implicitly becomes a property of
her husband making the male the guardian. Hence the man as
the guardian has access and control over his property and the
assumptionisthatconsentisprovided bydefaultsincethewife
is his property. As shown by the national research on rape by
WOREC and ISIS WICCE (forthcoming publication), it is difficult
to identify and document marital-rape related cases since
talking about rape within marriage remains as a taboo which
is kept well hidden and institutionalized within the family
structure. However, rape outside of marriage takes a different
turn since it becomes an “offense against the property rights
of the man who is her guardian” (Das, 2008: 292). But in no
situation, does rape become an offense against the woman’s
bodily integrity.
Note that the greatest number of rape cases are perpetrated
by neighbors contradicting the popular myth that it is usually
dangerous unknown men (strangers) who are most likely to
assault women. Previous Anbeshi findings also indicated that
the greatest risk of rape against women comes from men they
know, often intimately. This is a very disturbing aspect of rape
as the rape survivor in such instances may find it very difficult
toseekjusticeasitcouldmeangoingagainstone’sownpeople,
sometimes even close relations. Instead of support the rape
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

37
survivor may be pressurized to accept what has happened.
Similarly there have also been instances when the people
who are meant to protect these women may support the
perpetrators, usually for a bribe.
The case studies that have been collected have revealed that
two distinct types of pressure may be felt by the survivors
of rape cases. The first type of pressure is an attempt by the
family members to marry the rape survivor to the perpetrator
if in case the survivor is unmarried. Rather than bringing the
perpetrator to court, the tendency to give social and cultural
legitimacy to a heinous crime like rape only further violates
the right of the survivor.
The second type of pressure that the survivor experiences
when she attempts to report the case is the massive pressure
she gets from her family members to suppress the event. The
reasons on the one hand are bringing shame to the family.
However on the other hand, it is due to the fear of reprisals
from the perpetrators who are usually the close relatives of
the survivor.
The case studies have also revealed that perpetrators of rape
especially in the case of Dalit women are often men from
privileged background against whom locals are reluctant to
bring any case. Fear of public humiliation, beatings, and rape
keep Dalit women silent. In addition, it is usually the upper
caste people in positions of power who will turn a deaf ear to
the Dalit women even if they were to report their cases. As
Anbeshi 2010 reveals, “majority of the crimes against Dalit
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

38
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Husband
Family member
Neighbor
No. of cases
women (especially rape) do not get reported to the police
for fear of social ostracism and threat to personal safety and
security” (Anbeshi, 2010: 58).
4.4. Murder
Murder was reported in 47 cases and represented a relatively
small proportion (3%) of the total VAW cases. 51.1 percent
(or 24 out of 47 cases) of all reported cases of murders
are committed by husbands, 17.0 percent (or 8 cases) was
committed by other family members and 23.4 percent (or 11
cases) was committed by neighbors (Chart 4.4).
Murder
Chart 4.4 Murder by Type of Perpetrators
Dowry has been the commonly cited reason for murder and
in most cases, excessive beating, sustained humiliation in the
family or in extreme cases rape has preceded murder. The
cases are primarily from Central and Eastern Nepal. The dowry
related cases of murder also highlight the fact that the girls
are married young and perhaps are not assertive enough to
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

39
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Husband
Family member
Neighbor
No. of cases
lodge official complaints or report to their maternal family
members. In any case, the cases of murder also show that it is
primarily ones own family that are the perpetrators reiterating
the already established fact that women are the most unsafe
at their own homes.
4.5. Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse accounts for 64 cases (4%) of the total reported
cases of VAW. 53.1 percent (34 of 64 cases) of sexual abuse is
committed by neighbors. Husbands, other family members,
and other/unidentified individuals account for 15.6 percent
(10 cases), 10.9 percent (7 cases), and 20.3 percent (13 cases)
of sexual abuse respectively (Chart 4.5).
Chart 4.5 Sexual Abuse by Type of Perpetrators
Sexual Abuse
4.6. Trafficking
Regarding trafficking of women, the data revealed that the
highest number of cases (61%) (14 of 23 cases) was carried
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

40
4%
61%
35%
Family members
Neighbor
out by neighbors, followed by other/ unidentified (35%), and
family members (4%) (Chart 4.6).
Chart 4.6 Trafficking by Type of Perpetrators
Trafficking
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER V
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

42
CHAPTER VAGE OF SURVIVORS
5.1 Age
While VAW cuts across all age groups, according to this year’s
Anbeshi, it appears to be concentrated on women below 46
years of age. The most affected are in the 26-35 age group
followed by the 16-25 age group. Almost 40 percent are below
the age of 25 and 7 percent are below the age of 16 (Chart
5.1.a). Thirty four percent are in the 26-35 age group, followed
by 33 percent in the 16-25 age group, 16 percent in the 36-45
age group. 8 percent are above 46 years of age. These figures
underscore the fact that out of every five survivors, as many
as three are below the age of 35.
The age profile (Chart 5.1.b) shows the types of violence
most affecting different age groups. Among all types of VAW,
domesticviolenceisthemostcommon.Itaccountedforalmost
64 percent of all the survivors in the different age groups.
Domestic violence also follows the overall trends pointed out
earlier. There are however some differences between the
typesofviolence encountered amongthedifferent agegroups.
Chart 5.1.a Distribution of Age of Survivors
7%
33%
34%
16%
8%
2%
Age of Survivor
Below 16
16-25
26-35
36-45
Above 46
Unidentified
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

43
Domestic
violence
18%
Rape
50%
Sexual abuse
8%
Murder
1%
Trafficking
8%
Social violence
8% Other
7%
Chart 5.1.b Types of VAW by Age Group
5.2 Below 16 age group
It is rather shocking that rape accounts for almost half (50%) of
alltheVAWcasesinthisagegroup.Thisisfollowedbydomestic
violence (18%), and trafficking (8%), while sexual abuse and
social violence are almost equally distributed (Chart 5.2).
Chart 5.2 Distribution of VAW Survivors below 16 years
Age Group
Below 16
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

44
5.3 The 16-25 age group
The 16-25 age group accounted for 33 percent of VAW
surveyed. Domestic violence was the highest in this age group
(61%), followed by social violence (16%), sexual abuse (7%),
rape (7%), murder (2%) followed by trafficking (2%) (Chart 5.3).
Chart 5.3. Distribution of VAW Survivors in the 16-25 Age Group
5.4. The 26-35 age group
The 26-35 age group is the single largest group among
survivors of VAW, accounting for 34.7 percent of all survivors.
Regarding the types of violence reported domestic violence
is the highest (72%) followed by social violence (17%), with
similar percentages for rape and murder (Chart 5.4).
16-25 Age Group
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

45
Domestic
violence
71%
Rape
3%
Sexual abuse
1%
Murder
2% Social violence
23%
5.5 The 36-45 age group
This age group accounted for about 16 percent of the total
survivors. Similar to the other age groups, domestic violence
accounted for the largest category (71%), followed by social
violence (23%), with smaller percent of rape and murder
(Chart 5.5).
Chart 5.5 Distribution of VAW Survivors in the 36-45 Age Group
Chart 5.4 Distribution of VAW Survivors in the 26-35 Age Group
36-45 Age Group
26-35 Age Group
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

46
5.6 The above 45 years age group
Chart 5.6 shows that for those above 46 years of age, domestic
violence constituted the largest category (65%), followed by
social violence (20%) and murder and rape. This group was
about 8 percent of the total survivors.
Chart 5.6 Distribution of VAW Survivors above 45 years
The following points are important to note:
- It is very troubling to note that rape accounts for
almost half (50%) of all the VAW in the below 16 age
group. Subjected to such violence at a formative age
has larger consequences in life. Essentially, security
of young girls is at stake and it is imperative that
the state comes up with measures to protect young
girls. However this also raises questions on reporting
the cases. One would require more research to
decipher if it is more reporting of the cases of younger
girls and less reporting of older women. A recent
national research on rape by WOREC and ISIS WICCE
Domestic
violence
65%Rape
4%
Sexual abuse
2%
Murder
7%
Social violence
20%
Other
2%
Above 45
Age Group
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

47
(forthcoming publication) shows that reporting and
documentation of rape cases is still very marginal.
- The highest percentage of murder among the age
group of 26-35 suggests that mostly married women
are survivors of murder. Murder could be the ultimate
form of domestic violence clearly suggesting that
security of women within homes are at risk. However,
more research needs to be conducted on the specifics
of murder and its relation with marital status.
- Sexual abuse is highest among the age group 16-25
years. This finding suggests a patriarchal notion of
sexuality in which a certain age group women become
sexual objects reinforcing the stereotypical values on
women.
- Trafficking is reported by a very small number of
survivors and over 90 percent are reported by those
below 35 years of age.
- As mentioned earlier, domestic and social violence
stand out as the biggest threat to all age groups under
consideration. For other types of violence some age
groups may be more vulnerable than others. For
instance, rape is concentrated on the below 16 years
age group and sexual abuse is concentrated on 16-25
age group.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER VI
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

49
CHAPTER VI
18%
40%
11%
15%
12%
4%
Illiterate
Literate
Primary
Secondary
Higher education
Unidentified
EDUCATION AND VAW
6.1 Educational background of the survivor
Literate women (40%) (630 of 1569 cases) constitute the
highest category of VAW survivors. This figure is significantly
different than Anbeshi 2010 in which we saw an even split
betweenliterateandilliterategroups(Anbeshi,2010).However
though if we include those who have gone beyond literacy and
actually completed some years of formal schooling, then in
totality the literate and women with higher education seem
to be reporting higher levels of VAW than illiterate women.
The crucial difference this year is that there are fewer cases
reported from the illiterate women. The decreasing reporting
of VAW cases by illiterate women raises important questions:
Is there actually a reduction of VAW, hence less reporting or
the environment to report VAW cases has become less and
less conducive for illiterate women who are primarily in rural
Nepal?
Chart 6.1.a Education of VAW Survivors
Education of Survivor
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

50
Domestic violence appears to be the most common among
all the groups followed by social violence. 15 percent of the
total reported cases of violence occur among women with
secondary education, followed by 11 percent among women
withprimaryeducation, 11percentamongwomenwith higher
secondary education, and 4% among unidentified category
(Chart 6.1.b)
Chart 6.1.b Types of VAW and Education
Primary and higher secondary education emerge as the
factor most strongly associated with reduced prevalence of
all forms of violence, which is 11 percent each respectively.
Women with primary and secondary education may be
better exposed to strategies to deal with any VAW related
problems they face. They may be better able to understand
their legal rights, and hence assert themselves to claim their
legal rights. Higher education opens up access to earning,
thus decreasing economic dependence on their husbands,
Type of Vaw and Education
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

51
65%6%
2%
3%
1%
22%
1%
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Murder
Trafficking
Social violence
Other
fathers and brothers. Women may be able to also question
discriminatory practicesathome.Inaddition,highereducation
mayincreaseconfidence,and increasedself-esteem increasing
more interaction with people outside the home. This becomes
especially important when home is not the safest space for
women to share their issues. These factors lead to wider
experience and an enhanced ability to deal with violence.
However, important to keep in mind is that only speaking
up about violence does not always enable women to access
justice. It can also backfire in the shape of retribution or
other harmful activities by the perpetrators and their allies
sometimes further discouraging women to speak up and thus
furthering silence.
6.2. Violence against illiterate groups
The women in the illiterate group accounted for about 18
percent of all survivors of violence and domestic violence
accounted for almost 65 percent of all the violent acts. It was
followed by social violence, then rape and finally murder.
Chart 6.2 Types of Violence against Illiterate Groups
Illiterate
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

52
66%
7%
3%
3%
2%
16%
3%
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Murder
Trafficking
Social violence
Other
6.3. Violence reported by literate survivors
The majority (41%) of all survivors studied were literate. The
most common form of violence experienced by this group was
domestic violence (66%) followed by social violence (16%),
and rape (7%). These three categories account for 89 percent
of the reported cases (Chart 6.3.a). Chart 6.3.b compares
illiterate with literate and educated, with the latter group
proportionately reporting all types of VAW more.
Chart 6.3.a Types of Violence Reported by literate Survivors
Chart 6.3.b. Illiterate Groups Compared with Literate and
Educated Groups
Literate
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Murder
Trafficking
Social violence
Other
No. of cases
Literate & educated
Illiterate
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

53
62%
17%
6%
2% 12%
1%
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Trafficking
Social violence
Other
6.4. Violence reported by survivors with primary
education
VAW survivors with primary education reported domestic
violence as the most frequent (62%), followed by rape (17%)
and social violence (12%) (Chart 6.4).
Chart 6.4 Types of Violence Reported by Survivors with Primary
Education
6.5. Violence reported by survivors with secondary
education
Survivors with secondary education accounted for 15 percent
of the total survivors. Regarding different types of violence
reported by this group, the most frequently reported was
domestic violence (63%), followed by social violence (16%)
and sexual abuse (7%).
Violence Reported by Survivors with Primary Education
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

54
59%
8%
7%
3%
17%
6%
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Murder
Social violence
Other
63%
5%
7%
3%
2%
16%
4%
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Murder
Trafficking
Social violence
Other
Chart 6.5 Types of Violence Reported by Srvivors with Secondary
Education
Violence Reported by Survivors with Secondary Education
Violence Reported by Survivors with Higher Secondary Education
6.6. VAW survivors with higher secondary education
Survivors with higher secondary education accounted for
11 percent of the total survivors. This group also reported
domestic violence (59%) as most frequent form of VAW
followed by social violence (17%) and rape (8%).
Chart 6.6 Violence Reported by VAW Survivors with Higher
Secondary Education
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

55
Some important points to note:
- Given other variables in the Nepali society, literacy and
education alone are not adequate factors for reducing
violence against women. It is clear from the data on
education since there is a general trend of higher rate
of violence among women with some education. What
does this mean? One way to look at it could be that more
women are at least receiving a basic level of education,
while on the other hand there is no change in terms of
mindsets of people who engage in violent acts. In other
words, violence against women will not decrease without
larger structural changes and changes of social values
that people imbibe. Education does play a substantial
role in enabling structural or cultural changes. However,
for education to take effect, the educational system has
to be remodeled. Our data suggest that even with some
form of education women’s security is still threatened.
- The data that rape among literate group is higher than
illiterate group suggest some or all of the following:
o In the case of the Terai, literacy may result in seeking
spouses who are equally or more literate resulting in
higher bride price and violence associated with the
failure to pay such a price.
o Reporting of marital rape is constrained by women’s
understandingand interpretation of the phenomenon
(i.e. many women would accept that their husbands
have the right to engage in sexual acts whenever they
wanted, and that consent is irrelevant).
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER VII
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

57
CHAPTER VIIMARITAL STATUS AND VAW SURVIVORS
7.1. Marital status of the survivor
The highest percentage of all reported cases of violence is
found among married women accounting for 77 percent (1223
of 1569 cases). The group of unmarried women account for
15 percent followed by separated women (4%) and widow
(3%) (Chart 7.1.a). The findings once again demonstrate that
home is not always a safe space for women. As Veena Das
points out, home actually becomes a terrorizing space for
women who don’t “properly” do their job of maintaining an
ideal home (Das, 2008). Although accurate information on the
extent of domestic violence is difficult to obtain because of
extensive underreporting, the data do bring to the fore that
married women within their own homes are prone to most
violence (Chart 7.1.b).
Chart 7.1.a. Marital Status of the Survivors
15%
78%
4%
3% 0%
Unmarried
Married
Seperated
Widow
Other
Marital Status
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

58
Chart 7.1.b Type of Violence Reported by Survivors with Various
Marital Status
7.2 Married women
Marriage as a social institution is a sexual contract in which
abstract consent is given by a woman to the head or the
guardian of the family (husband) who has the sole control over
operationswithinoneshome(Das,2008).Asmentionedearlier
domestic violence is the most common form of violence that
married women face. After domestic violence, social violence
is the second highest form of violence that married women
face. Describing the type of violence encountered, 72 percent
(877 of 1223) married women reported domestic violence,
followed by social violence (18%) (223 of 1223), murder (3.4%)
(41 of 1223) and rape (3.5%) (36 of 1223 cases).
Violence Reported by Survivors with
Various Marital Status
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

59
Chart 7.2 Types of Violence among Married Women
7.3. Unmarried women
Violence reported by the unmarried group is 15 percent
(238of 1569 cases). Rape accounts for the highest (35.7%)
(85 of 238 cases), followed by domestic violence (22.2%) (53
of 238 cases), sexual abuse (16.8%) (40 of 238 cases), social
violence (9.7%) (17 of 238 cases), and trafficking (7.1%) (17
of 238 cases). The fact that rape accounts for the highest
form of violence among unmarried women perhaps suggests
that unmarried women are vocal about it than married
women. Since abstract consent is part of the sexual contract
that comes with marriage, there is a tendency not to talk
about marital rape. However, the case with the unmarried
is different.
Violence among Married Women
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

60
Chart 7.3 Types of Violence among Unmarried Women
7.4. Separated Women
Violence reported by women who have been separated is
4 percent, which is significantly lower compared to married
women. However, even in this category, domestic violence
is the highest form of violence (80%) (46 of 57 cases). It is
followed by social violence, which is 14 percent (8 of 57 cases).
Chart 7.4 Violence Reported by Survivors who have been
Separated
Violence among Unmarried Women
Violence among Separated Women
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

61
7.5. Violence and Widows
Violence against widows is also relatively low (2.4%). 57
percent (24 of 42 cases)of the total reported cases within this
category is of domestic violence followed by social violence
(26.2%) (11 of 42 cases).
Chart 7.5 Violence Reported by Widows
Violence Reported by Widows
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER VIII
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

63
CHAPTER VIII
42%
24%
11%
1%
2%
5%
1% 10%
4% Agriculture
Household work
Labor
Govt. service
Non-govt. service
Business
Social work
Nothing
OCCUPATION AND VIOLENCE
8.1. Occupation of the survivor and types of violence
Women engaged in agriculture (42%) reported the most
number of cases of violence against women (Chart 8.1.a).
It is not a surprise for Nepal given that it is predominantly
an agrarian economy. Agriculture is followed by household
work (24%), labor (11%), and women who do “nothing”
(10%). Modern occupations such as government service, non
government service, social work, and business make up about
9% of the total.
Chart 8.1.a Occupation of the Survivors
Domestic violence is reported as the most common form
of VAW by majority women engaged in varied forms of
occupation (Chart 8.1.b). This fact is further substantiated by
chart 8.1.c. in which distribution of VAW is analyzed based on
traditional and modern occupations.
Occupation
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

64
Chart 8.1.b Occupational Status and Types of VAW
Chart 8.1.c. Types of VAW by Traditional and Modern Occupations
Traditional occupation includes agriculture, household, and
labor while modern includes government services, business,
Occupation
Traditional and Modern Occupations
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

65
73%
5%
3%
2%
0%
16%
1%
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Murder
Trafficking
Social violence
Other
and social work (Chart 8.1.c). Although the sample is
relatively small, it is interesting to note that even for modern
occupations, domestic violence predominates.
8.2. Agriculturists and types of VAW
Outof42percentofthewomenthatareengagedinagriculture,
73 percent reported domestic violence as the most common
form of VAW followed by social violence, which is 16 percent.
Rape accounts for 5 percent and sexual abuse accounts for 3
percent (Chart 8.2).
Chart 8.2 Agriculturists and Types of VAW
8.3. Household work and types of VAW
Violence for those engaged in household work (24%) is also
quite similar to those engaged in agriculture, with domestic
violence (67.4%) and social violence (18%) dominating and
followed by rape (4.7%), murder (4.5%), and sexual abuse
(3.6%) (Chart 8.3).
Agriculture
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

66
60%
7%2%
4%
4%
21%
2%
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Murder
Trafficking
Social violence
Other
Chart 8.3 Household Work and Types of VAW
8.4. Laborer and VAW
Out of the total respondents, 11 percent reported their
occupation as laborer. Out of them, 60 percent reported as
going through domestic violence followed by social violence
(21%), and rape (6.7%) (Chart 8.4).
Chart 8.4 Laborer and Types of VAW
Household Work
Labor
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

67
61%
33%
6%
Domestic violence
Social violence
Other
68%
5%
3%
3%
1%
19%
1%
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Murder
Trafficking
Social violence
Other
8.5. Business and VAW
Only about 5 percent women reported being in business.
However even their pattern of violence was not very different,
with domestic (68%) and social violence (19%) dominating,
followed by rape (5%) (Chart 8.5).
Chart 8.5 Business and Types of VAW
8.6. Social work and types of VAW
Around one percent said that they were in social work.
Majority of the respondents of this category only reported
domestic and social violence (Chart 8.6).
Chart 8.6 Social Work and Types of VAW
Business
Social Work
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

68
8.7. Women who do “nothing” and VAW
Note that 10 percent of the survivors reported that they did
“nothing” for work. This is a very important category because
the survivors reported the highest number of rape cases (49
out of 124) (39.5%) out of total cases of rape reported for
Anbeshi2011.Withinthecategory,reporteddomesticviolence
is 31%, sexual abuse (15%), and social violence (10%) (Chart
8.7).
Chart 8.7 Doing “Nothing” and Types of VAW
Critical analysis is needed for the category of survivors who
reported as doing no work. Why is it that rape is the most
reported cases in this category? How is sexual violence that
women face linked with the notion of the survivor’s own
worth which can be reflected by how important they consider
themselves? One hypothesis could be that the self esteem
and self worth of the women who are survivors of rape is
scarred deeply. It will be productive to take up the issue of rape
survivors for future Anbeshi research as the national research
on rape that WOREC and ISIS WICCE conducted in 2010 has
not addressed this issue of self worth and rape.
30%
31%
15%
4%
4%
10%
6%
Domestic violence
Rape
Sexual abuse
Murder
Trafficking
Social violence
Other
Doing 'nothing'
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER IX
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

70
CHAPTER IX
8%
5%
22%
65%
Impacts:
Social
Economic
Physical
Mental
IMPACTS OF VIOLENCE ON SURVIVOR
9.1. Types of impact on VAW survivors
Four different types of impact were identified: social,
economic, physical, and mental. The mental effect (65%) on
women is the highest under all categories of VAW, followed by
physical effect (22%), social effect (8%), and economic effect
(5%) (Chart 9.1.a).
Chart 9.1.a Types of Impact on VAW Survivors
Domestic violence has been reported to have the highest
number of mental and physical impacts among the survivors
(Chart 9.1.b).
Chart 9.1.b. Different Types of Impact on VAW Survivors
Types of Impact on VAW Survivors
Impact
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

71
7%
6%
21%
66%
Social
Economic
Physical
Mental
9.2. Impact of domestic violence
Survivors (66%) reported mental effect as the cardinal effect
due to domestic violence. Physical effect (21%) was second,
followed by social impact (7%), and economic impact (6%) as
shown in chart 9.2.
Chart 9.2 Impact of Domestic Violence
9.3. Impact of social violence
Mental impact is the highest accounting for 60 percent (160 of
266 cases) in the case of social violence. Physical impact was
28 percent (73 of 266 cases), social impact 8 percent (23 of
266 cases), and economic impact 4 percent (11 of 266 cases)
due to social violence (Chart 9.3).
9.4. Impact of rape
Rape survivors reported mental impact to be dominant (63%)
(78 out of 124 cases). It was followed by physical impact 23
percent (23 of 124 cases), social impact 11 percent (14 of 124)
and economic impact 3 percent (3 of 124 cases).
Impact of Domestic Violence
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

72
11% 3%
23%
63%
Social
Economic
Physical
Mental
8%
4%
28%
60%
Social
Economic
Physical
Mental
Chart 9.4 Impact of Rape on Survivors
Chart 9.3. Impact of Social Violence
Impact of Social Violence
Impact of Rape on Survivors
9.5. Impact of sexual abuse on survivors
Mental impact (56%) (36 out of 54) is found to be dominant
among survivors of sexual abuse. Physical impact is 27 percent
(17 of 64 cases), and social impact is 16 percent (10 out of 64
cases)
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

73
22%
9%
69%
Social
Physical
Mental
16%
1%
27%
56%
Social
Economic
Physical
Mental
Chart 9.5 Impact of Sexual Abuse on Survivors
9.6. Impact of trafficking on survivors
Mental impact is the highest that is 69 percent (16 of 23 cases)
among the survivors of trafficking followed by social impact
22 percent (5 of 23 cases) and physical impact 9 percent (2 of
23 cases). It is interesting to note that social impact reported
in Anbeshi 2010 was zero (Anbeshi 2010). It certainly was not
an expected result. However, in this report it is the second
highest impact after mental impact.
Chart 9.6 Impact of Trafficking on Survivors
Impact of Sexual Abuse on Survivors
Impact of Trafficking on Survivors
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

74
20%
68%
12% Health Checkup
Yes
No
Unidentified
9.7. Health and VAW survivors
An overwhelming majority (68%) of the survivors reported
that they did not receive any from of health check up after
facing violence (Chart 9.7). Women reported either as having
no physical or economic access to a health facility or being
fearful to go to the health facility. In addition, women reported
that they did not have any visible physical problem, so they did
not go for a health check up. Moreover, women also reported
being discouraged to go to a doctor since the health facilities
lacked doctors, or even if they were present, having a woman
doctor was extremely rare. Although women did not explicitly
mentionthatsymptomsofVAWarerarelyrecognizedbyhealth
personnel as valid reasons to seek medical support, there are
several instances of symptoms of VAW not being recognized
as valid health problems. These reasons suggest that there is
a general pattern of keeping any health issues within oneself
because there is still a massive lack of women friendly health
infrastructure.
Chart 9.7 Health Check up of Survivors
Health Check up
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

75
Some important points to note
- Overwhelming number of women have reported
mental health as the key impact of VAW. However,
mental impact does not occur in isolation. It has
been reported that the experience of a physical
assault created a constant fear of having it repeated.
The unpredictability and possibility of its recurrence
exacerbated the mental and emotional stress.
- Survivors’ post-assault interactions with service
providers like police, prosecutors, health care
providers are reported to be traumatizing in most
instances.
- The psychological impact of their experiences have
inhibited women from productively participating in a
private as well as public life.
- Since majority rape survivors are below the age of 16,
they faced numerous health problems.
- Continuous subjection to violence in different forms
be it physical or mental has hindered women’s control
over their body and sexuality. There have been many
reporting of unwanted pregnancies, ill-treatment
during and post pregnancy, and marital rape. Many
women expressed having suicidal tendencies; and
symptoms of depression, backache, body ache,
abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding were reported
as common health issues.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER X
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

77
11%
17%
11%
9%16%
23%
11%
2%
0%
Brahman
Chhetri
Hill dalit
Terai dalit
Terai janjati
Hill janajati
Terai non-dalit
Marginalized
Others & Unidentified
CHAPTER XETHNICITY OF SURVIVORS
10.1 Ethnicity and VAW
Irrespective of ethnicity, domestic violence stands out as the
most reported form of VAW reiterating the fact that home is
the most unsafe space for Nepali women. The highest number
of cases are reported by the Hill Janjati (23%), followed by
Chhetri (17%), and Terai Janjati (16%). Hill Dalit, Brahmin,
and Terai non-Dalit all reported 11percent of the total cases
respectively. Terai Dalit was found to report 9 percent of the
total cases and other marginalized groups only reported 2
percent.
Chart 10.1.a Ethnicity of survivors
Ethnicity of Survivors
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

78
10.2. Violence among Brahman VAW survivors
Brahman survivors reported 70 percent (124 of 178) cases of
domestic violence followed by 13 percent (23 of 178) social
violence, and 10 percent (18 of 178) rape cases (Chart 10.2).
Chart 10.2 Violence among Brahman VAW Survivors
Chart 10.1.b Types of VAW and Ethnicity
Ethnicity
Brahman
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

79
10.3. Violence among Chhetri VAW survivors
Chhetri survivors reported 68 percent (177 of 260) cases of
domestic violence followed by 13.5 percent (35 of 260) cases
of social violence, and 5 percent (35 of 260) cases of sexual
abuse (Chart 10.3).
Chart 10.3 Violence among Chhetri VAW survivors
10.4. Violence among terai dalits
Terai Dalits account for 9 percent of all survivors and domestic
violence accounts for 58.7 percent (81 of 138 cases), followed
by social violence 21.7 percent (30 of 138 cases), rape 10
percent (14 of 138 cases), and murder 6.5 percent (9 of 138
cases).
Chhetri
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

80
10.5. Violence among hill dalits
Hill Dalits account for 11 percent of the total cases (167 of
1569 cases). Domestic violence accounts for 66 percent (110
of 167 cases), followed by social violence 13.2 percent (22 of
167 cases), and rape 10.8 percent (18 of 167 cases).
Chart 10.5 Violence among Hill Dalits
Chart 10.4 Violence among Terai Dalits
Terai Dalits
Hill Dalits
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

81
10.6. Violence among Hill Janajati
Hill Janajatis account for 23 percent cases (357 of 1569 cases).
Domestic violence is 60 percent (213 of 357 cases), followed
by social violence 14.3 percent (51 of 357 cases), and rape 9.5
percent (34 of 357 cases).
Chart 10.6 Violence among Hill Janajati
10.7. Violence among terai non-dalit
Terai non dalits account for 11 percent (174 of 1569 cases) of
the total cases. Domestic violence accounts for 62.6 percent
(109 of 174 cases), followed by social violence 25.3 percent
(44 of 174 cases), and rape 7 percent (12 of 174 cases).
Hill Janajati
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

82
Chart 10.7 Violence among Terai non-dalit
10.8. Violence among marginalized groups
The category of marginalized group primarily includes landless
people, widows, urban poor. This group accounts for 2 percent
( 36 of 1569 cases) in which domestic violence is faced by 56
percent (20 of 36 cases), social violence 25 percent (9 of 36
cases), and rape 9 percent (4 of 36 cases).
Chart 10.8 Violence among Marginalized Groups
Marginalized Groups
Terai non-dalit
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

83
10.9 Violence among terai janajati
Terai janajatis account for 16 percent (255 of 1569 cases) of
the total collected cases. Domestic violence accounts for 64.7
percent (165 of 255 cases), followed by social violence 20
percent (51 of 255 cases), and rape 6 percent (15 of 255 cases).
Chart 10.9 Violence among Terai Janajati
Some important points to note:
- VAW is not confined to a specific group or community.
Most times it works in conjunction with caste-based
discrimination and socio-economic status.
- Given Nepal’s immense ethnic diversity, the treatment
ofwomenwithineachethnicgroupdifferssignificantly.
Although there is an overarchingpatriarchal valuethat
governsthesegroups, theways in which itmanifests in
specific groups are different. These differences affect
Terai Janajati
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

84
the degree of autonomy women can exercise as well
as confidence to report and speak up about violence.
- Although it is not obvious from the data collected,
manywomenreportedthatitissignificantlydifficultto
report the cases of VAW. There have been instances of
refusal to register the cases of VAW by the authorities
and undertake necessary corrective action. Hence
what we observe here is only the tip of the iceberg
in terms of cases of VAW. There is bound to be
numerous cases that go unreported. Another factor
for underreporting has been due to a fear of reprisal.
Especially now given a sensitive political climate
especially in the Terai, fear of reprisal have increased
significantly as WOREC’s reportsfromthefieldsuggest
(WOREC Nepal, 2010).
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CHAPTER XI
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

86
16%
29%
21%
11%
23%
Age of perpetrator
16-25
26-35
36-45
Above 46
Unidentified
CHAPTER XI BACKGROUND OF PERPETRATORS
11.1. Background of perpetrators
In this chapter we present some of the available information
on the perpetrators as pointed out by the survivors.
Chart 11.1 shows that 23 percent of the perpetrators’ age is
unidentified. The perpetrators in the age group 26-35 account
for 30 percent of all perpetrators, followed by the age group
36-45 which accounts for 21 percent. 16-25 years account for
15 percent and the age group above 46 years accounts for 11
percent. Below 16 years accounts for less than one percent
of the cases.
Chart 11.1 Age of Perpetrators
The chart 11.3 shows that 25 percent perpetrators are
women which clearly show that men from all age groups can
be perpetrators. This is extremely critical as it suggests the
level of male privilege that exists within our society. The fact
that a man of any age group has the potential to threaten a
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

87
12%
15%
10%
8%16%
20%
12%
3% 4%
Ethnicity of perpetrator
Brahmin
Chhetri
Hill dalit
Terai dalit
Terai janajati
Hill janajati
Terai non-dalit
Muslim
woman’s security is enough to suggest that unequal power
relations are normalized in the Nepali society. The result of
such normalization is the way in which VAW becomes manifest
in everyday life. Men are under constant under pressure
to become aggressive and masculine whereas women are
socially conditioned to be submissive who do not question
subordination and exploitation.
11.2. Ethnicity of perpetrators
Chart 11.2 shows that the highest percentage of perpetrators
are from Hill janajatis consisting of 19 percent followed by an
equal percentage of Chhetri and Terai janajatis, both at 16
percent. Terai non dalits and Brahmins are each found to be
12 percent of the total perpetrators.
One possible reason for the highest reporting of hill janajati
as the perpetrators might be due to the fact that women are
Chart 11.2 Ethnicity of perpetrators
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

88
considerably more vocal about the discrimination they face
within these communities. Unequal gender relations that
dictate the ways in which people seek control by engaging in
acts of violence are defined in less rigid terms compared to
other communities. Therefore, it is important to bear in mind
the variations within different ethnic groups when analyzing
VAW.
11.3. Sex of perpetrators
Chart 11.3 highlights that perpetrators of VAW are both
men and women. The data reveal that 74 percent of the
perpetrators are male and 25 percent are female and
unidentified are 1 percent. Specifically, in the cases where
women are perpetrators, violence is committed by mother-
in-laws or sister-in-laws on daughter-in laws. The reasons vary
within households. However, one primary reason is related to
migration of men to primarily the Gulf region for work leaving
their wives behind. The wives face violence at home because
they have access and control over the money that the husband
sends. On the other hand, women also face violence because
the in-laws do not want her to be claiming any share on the
remittance being sent back. Migration for work has increased
with the changed political context of the country and is thus
directly proportional to increasing domestic violence.
At the same time, women face violence when they migrate
for work. Again, rural to urban migration is an increasing
trend for women due to changed socio-political climate.
Women working in the entertainment sector face tremendous
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

89
exploitation and violation of rights. Women working in the
entertainment sector have challenged the traditional social
norm of sexuality. They have become targets because they
are perceived as those crushing the moral value structure
that the Nepali society rests on. However, it is interesting
to note that the culture of dance restaurants, night clubs,
and strip clubs are further proliferating in urban spaces with
Nepal. This suggests that there is indeed a high demand for
such business and hence an even higher demand for workers
for such businesses. The Nepali state has turned blind eye to
such increase and unfortunately is narrowly focused only on
“protecting” and “purifying” women and the Nepali society by
shutting down such businesses, reducing their hours, and most
importantly, arresting women workers. Such measures only
reveal the biased short sightedness of the Nepali state that is
seeped in moral values highly influenced by Manusmriti. The
women workers are usually considered outside the protection
of the state laws, which makes them particularly vulnerable
Chart 11.3 Sex of Perpetrators
25%
74%
1%
Sex of perpetrator
Female
Male
Unidentified
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

90
to sexual violence. There is already social stigma to begin
with, compounded by state’s inadequate addressal makes the
women the easiest target for violence.
Dowry related violence is also common which highlights the
continuing significance of women in a patriarchal culture.
Women who are economically dependent on their husbands
are deprived of autonomy and self-esteem and are rendered
voiceless. The culture of consumerism has reached alarming
heights that dowry has permeated into those communities
which traditionally did not have dowry as a part of their
culture. It is a means of demonstrating one’s upward mobility
and social status.
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

CONCLUSION
w
w
w
.w
orecnepal.org

Anbeshi 2011: Status and Dimension of Violence against Women, Reality Revealed

Anbeshi 2011: Status and Dimension of Violence against Women, Reality Revealed

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Ähnlich wie Anbeshi 2011: Status and Dimension of Violence against Women, Reality Revealed

Ähnlich wie Anbeshi 2011: Status and Dimension of Violence against Women, Reality Revealed (20)

Mehr von WOREC Nepal

Mehr von WOREC Nepal (20)

Anbeshi 2011: Status and Dimension of Violence against Women, Reality Revealed