KATHMANDU: Child rights activists today unveiled shocking instances of how girl child abusers were escaping from law, and enjoying a state of impunity.

This came to a light at an interaction, “Role of media on girls empowerment” organised jointly in the capital by Working Women Journalists (WWJ) and CWIN Nepal. Girls without parents’ patronage, girls working in massage parlour and bars, those doing manual works, working in squatters, streets, and those suffering from physical and mental disabilities, are more vulnerable to abuses, said Sumnima Tuladhar, executive coordinator, CWIN said.

“Many of these cases are not reported to the concerned sector, as a result, the the frquency of abuses has increased, and the culprits enjoy freedom from lax law,” she added. Tuladhar also said, “In most cases, the nearest ones are often the culprits for victimising many under-aged girls.”

“Forget about those illiterate people, who do not know how and where to lodge a complaint, even the so-called educated guardians, shy-away from complaining cases due to the social stigma,” she said.

She strongly urged all the victimised girls and their guardians

to expose girl child abusers

in order to book them under

the prevailing law.

Subakshya Bindhu, vice president of WWJ said that media

had a pivotal role to play in this regard, especially in brining out cases of abuses. “Media can also pressurise the government to implement the existing law.”

Sangita Lama, president of WWJ alleged that the mass media were not giving priority to teenagers’ issues as they were hijacked by political events. “Media tends to provide more than 80 per cent focus on politics,” she alleged.

More than two dozens women journalists working in various media organisations participated in the program.