Unspeakable crime against children: sexual violence in conflict

http://www.savethechildren.net/sites/default/files/libraries/Unspeakable%20Crimes%20report.pdf

Support this child

The  child that you see in  the picture is both blind and handicapped. Her name is Mina. She is from a remote part of far western region of Nepal. He lives in Bajhang with her parents. She is about five years old. She even does not speak but she cries only. Fortunately, she understands a little what people talk about. Nobody cares for her except her poor parents. She is the first child of her parents. Her mum is a complete housewife and her father is a seasonal migrant worker. It is quite difficult for her parents to manage bread and butter. It's almost impossible to them to afford her medical treatment expenses. Furthermore, there is no good medical services around her locality. She has been a burden to her parents and to the people living around her housewife. She needs both emotional and physical support. However, physical support is more important to her as she cannot walk and see for her treatment.

I personally did help her but that's a small amount of money just sufficient for her clothing. I have attempted to collect some amount of money for here treatment. As suggested by many of my friends I have posted her picture in my blog  for the support. I will keep record of every penny I collected for her help and make it public to those who supported her. The money will be sent to her parents back home.


If you wanna help me her, please do contact me.
Amar Bahadur Singh
telephone no. +47 45126501
email: abs.sireta@gmail.com

Rescued children sent back home

NEW DELHI, MAR 23 -

Six Nepali children, who were stranded in various nongovernmental organisations in the Indian Capital, have been rescued. They were sent back home on Friday.

Children aged between 10 and 14 years were repatriated with the joint efforts of Maiti India—a branch of Maiti Nepal—and the Nepali migrants’ organisation Nepal Janasamparka Samiti. The children, who had left home for various reasons and reached Delhi, were handed over by the local police to the NGOs.

Most of the children showed poverty and domestic violence as the reason for fleeing their homes. Some were found to have been sent by their parents to earn for the family. In most cases, children who flee their homes and reach different parts of India have not only been the victims of extreme form of child labour but also the physical and mental violence, Samiti President Balkrishna Pandey said.

Among the rescued are Sandeep Pandey (Palpa), Raju Sharma (Kathmandu), Amrit Kafle (Chitwan), Bikash Thapa (Sindhuli), Munna Ansari (Bara) and Dipak Adhikari (Dhanusha).

 From the Kathmandu post

The war on women 
The prolonged political disarray and ensuing impunity are fostering gender-based crime. 

Nepali rulers were probably glad that the public's attention shifted over the new year away from deadlocked politics to escalating protests in the streets of the capital against the latest atrocities against women.
But that should be short-term relief, for the reason why gender-based violence, and stigmatisation are so persistent in Nepal is because politicians have forgotten what it is all about. As representatives of the people, it is their job to ensure the safety, security, and rights of vulenrable citizens. It is the prolonged political disarray and the ensuing impunity that has led to a breakdown in law and order and an increase in gender-based crime.
It is not enough anymore to use the excuse of entrenched patriarchy or culturally-accepted gender inequity to explain away the epidemic of violence against women in our society. We had a system in place since the restoration of democracy in 1990 to set things right, and after the 2008 elections we had the most representative legislature ever in Nepal's history. Laws were passed, but enforcement has been feeble. A male-dominated society has been slow to change behaviour, and the priority for media has been male-dominated politics.
A young woman was robbed and raped on return from Saudi Arabia, a domestic helper was murdered in Kathmandu, two young women were burnt alive by family members in Banke and Bara. These latest atrocities pushed public outrage beyond the tipping point.
But inquiries at Maiti Nepal show that there are 3-5 women every week who are robbed, exploited, blackmailed, and abused by airport personnel. Sita was just the latest, and her story only came out because relatives dared to complain to the authorities.
Ironically, the protests in Baluwatar and Singha Darbar this week have provided the government an opportunity to earn brownie points and project itself as a champion of gender equality without having to change the status quo or answer difficult questions. If the Bhattarai government can fast track these cases and put criminals behind bars, the Nepali media with its notoriously short attention span will move back to covering politics and the only women who make it to the news will be semi-nude models.
Thousands of women were tortured, raped, killed, and disappeared during the conflict. It's been almost seven years since the war ended, but the formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission is still in limbo because of the collusion of the warring sides which are now both part of the establishment. War crimes have gone unpunished. Perpetrators of atrocities mingle openly with politicians. It is this culture of impunity that allows policemen like Parsuram Basnet and others to think that they can get away with rape and murder.
Demonstrators this week held placards calling for stricter laws and fast track courts to deal with rape and domestic violence. But we all know laws won't suffice, Nepalis must examine the patriarchal values that perpetuate such atrocities.
What does it say about our culture which excuses men when they grope, leer, cat-call, assault women on public transport, at movie theatres, in the vegetable market. Worse, they put the blame on the woman: she asked for it, her clothes were too revealing, she should not have been at a party so late at night. And what message is the state sending when the police ridicules and harasses victims, refuses to file their case, and holds them guilty instead?
While the demonstrations in front of Baluwatar might provide a quick-fix to the women and their families, the only long-term solution is to raise young Nepali men and women differently. Teach them that women's bodies are not free-for-all objects of desire, they have a voice and their consent is important.
And instead of commodifying the female body, the media, movies and tv should be at the forefront of trying to change social attitudes.

	Stateless children's"unknown" fathers
	CHADANI HAMAL CHITWAN, Jan 1: Kul Bahadur Bohara of Ayodhyapuri in Madi, Chitwan has turned 20 and also has a year old son. But he is still has not been able to acquire citizenship as his parents did not registertheir marriage.  Kul Bahadur´s mother Jaumaya Bohara had married police personnel Lok Bahadur Bohara while he was posted at the Chitwan National Park some two decades ago. But Lok Bahadur neither registered hismarriage with Jaumaya nor took wardship of his son.  “I was abandoned after my mother eloped with another person when I was a child. I pity myself as I belong nowhere,” said Kul Bahadur. Lack of citizenship has also made it difficult for Kul Bahadur to find a job. “I am not even in a position to apply for foreign employment,” he added.  Similarly, Motika Gurung, 18, of the same village shares a similar story. Bhoj Bahadur Gurung of Lamjung, a policeman deployed at the Chitwan National Park, married Motika´s mother and fathered two daughters. Bhoj Bahadur never came back to take the stock of his family after he got transferred from the park.  “He had contracted us once from abroad after retirement. But he never returned home. If he had helped us get citizenship, it would have been a lot easier for us to earn a living,” said Motika.  “I have citizenship certificates of my husband. But the VDC refused to register our marriage,” said Deumaya Sarki of Gunjanagar. Deumaya´s husband Deep Bahadur Khatri, a job holder at the National Park, left her 14 years ago. Accompanied by her father in-law, Deumaya sought citizenship for her son but was returned empty-handed as the district administration demanded the boy´s father to appear in person.  According to a survey conducted by CoAction Nepal, 111 women and 166 children living in the villages near the Chitwan National Park are stateless as their fathers remain unknown. A total of 17 women and children have acquired citizenship after winning a legal battle, while another 23 women acquired citizenship after getting married.  According to Executive Director of CoAction Nepal, 94 percent of the people facing difficulties in acquiring citizenship lack information and proper documents. According to Sanjeeb Raj Regmi, judge at the Chitwan District Court, the legal provisions regarding citizenship through mother´s lineage is still unclear. (Courtesy: The Republica)

Inebriated man pokes wife with glowing fire

PRAKASH ADHIKARI DAILEKH, DEC 29 (Commets: Violence against women and children are rising in such a way that shockingly disturb our common sense. Inebriated men often indulge into wife battering and it is often taken usually in the society. Violence against women have gone beyond and strict laws must be formulated to protect women and children)

AT a time when cases of violence against women have seen an unprecedented rise, an inebriated man burnt his wife following a spat at Narayan Municipality-6 in the district on Friday night. Kamaro Sarki tortured his wife Chawali with a burning piece of wood, police said. The victim sustained serious burns in herprivate parts, thighs and buttocks. The neighbours rescued Chawali and took her to District Hospital immediately after the victim and her children cried for help. Local people and police suspect that the tipsy Kamaro might have assaulted his spouse with fire after she denied him sex. Police Inspector Binod Sharma suspects sex could be the main cause as the perpetrator had attacked the victim targeting her private parts. According to the victim, the incident took place while she had been waiting for her husband for dinner. “He suddenly attacked me with a burning piece of wood. I would be burnt to death had my neighbours not rescued me,” Chawala said at the hospital. Police took Kamaro into custody. He has refused any wrongdoing. He admitted that they had a minor dispute and that she was accidentally hit by the fire in the kitchen and got injured. The impoverished Sarki couple are daily wage earners. Sharma said the victim has frequently changed her statements apparently to protect her husband. He assured that the perpetrator would not be spared even if the victim refused to lodge a complaint. The case is said to have been forwarded as per the police report and the complaints registered by women rights organisations. Chawali being treated at District Hospital for loin injuries Courtesy: The KP)

Police suspect family’s role

PAWAN YADAV BARA, DEC 28 (The Kathmadu Post)

Bindu’s slippers were found outside her house and an empty kerosene jar was also recovered from the house

INVESTIGATION into the death of teenage girl from Prastoka VDC-5 of Bara is turning into a muddled affair due to lack of details in the post-mortem report. While the police have initiated their probe assuming that the 16-year-old victim, Bindu Thakur, was murdered based on their preliminary finding, the post-mortem report provided by the District Hospital only states that she died of burn injuries and that there was a bruise on the back of her shoulder. Police Inspector Ramnath Ghimire said they had written to the hospital to provide every last detail like whether the victim was raped before her death, the time of her death and if there were any signs of injury other than the ones inflicted by burn. The hospital report was not satisfactory, he said. Meanwhile, a source at the hospital said the police had not written to them as claimed and that they could not furnish the details that were not asked for. Charred body of Bindu was found near her house on Wednesday morning. There were no sign of struggle on the scene. Ghimire said the victim had only a loose dress resembling undergarment on and there were no burnt clothes on the scene if she was wearing any. Bindu’s family members have been saying that she had left the house early in the morning for her tuition class and that they learnt about her death nearly an hour after her leaving. Her slippers were found outside the house and an empty kerosene jar was also recovered from the house. Police suspect that she was murdered by her own family members. Bindu’s father, Rama Thakur, was taken into custody on Thursday evening for interrogation. The victim’s mother and her two sisters were also held on Friday for questioning.