Kathmandu, August 7

On July 2, police arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in separate rape cases in Kathmandu.

Ajit Raut (18), a resident of Kirtipur-4, was arrested on charge of raping a six-year-old girl from his neighbourhood. In another case, 45-year-old Ghana Shyam Manandhar (45), a resident of Kirtipur-3, was held after a woman accused him of raping her in Thamel.

Rape cases are on an upsurge in the Kathmandu Valley, making it a dangerous place for women and girls.

A total of 127 rape cases had been registered in the Valley in the fiscal 2014/15 compared to 135 in 2015/16, which is a 6.3 per cent increase. Incidents of attempted rape also rose to 52 in 2015/16 from 47 in the previous fiscal.

According to police, cases of rape and sexual violence has increased not only in the Valley but also in other parts of the country despite remarkable decrease in other crimes like murder, attempted murder, suicide, use and smuggling of arms, drug trafficking, human trafficking and vehicular homicide.

Most of the rape victims are underage girls.

An official at the MPO said police maintain zero-tolerance against any forms of violence against women and children, and have managed to nab all perpetrators of rapes and rape attempts.

Police attribute the increase in rape cases to increased public awareness and improved reporting, and say it does not mean that there has been an actual surge in this crime.

“Prompt crime investigation and increasing public trust in police have made rape victims come forward with complaints against the guilty.

In some cases, men and women have a consensual sex, and the alleged victim files a rape complaint against the man with police when their relationship turns sour,” said the official.