National
Plaints of gender-based violence on rise: Police
The number of complaints lodged with police for gender-based violence has increased significantly across the country.According to the Nepal Police Headquarters, the number of complaints related to domestic violence has increased to 5,961 during this fiscal year from 2,250 two years back. Similarly, the number of rape cases filed with police has also increased to 1,170 from 711 two years earlier.
Police say growing awareness among people regarding all forms of violence together with easy mechanisms for registering complaints at every police station and prompt police action has resulted in increased number of people seeking law enforcement agencies’ help. Nepal Police has also established a separate Women and Children Cell in 24 districts to look into cases involving these vulnerable groups while new positions have been created in 240 places across the country to focus on GBV issues and their investigation.
DSP Ranju Sigdel of the Women and Children Service Directorate at Nepal Police Headquarters said though wide-ranging cases of GBV occur in the society, the latest effort by the police to focus on cases related to GBV has encouraged victims to lodge complaints. “However, the increasing number of complaints related to gender-based violence does not mean that such cases are on the rise. It only means that more and more people have started raising their voices against such atrocities,” DSP Sigdel said.
She said a majority of police stations across the country in close coordination with other government and non-government bodies are providing temporary settlements for the victims, including free consultations from psychologists and lawyers.
The establishment of one-stop Crisis Management Centres (OSCMCs) to provide assistance and redress to GBV victims have also helped people resort to legal means to punish the perpetrators. These centres established in over 11 hospitals provide psycho-social counseling, legal counseling, treatment and police services under one
roof. These services are free of cost and the state bears all expenses as per the needs of the case.