KATHMANDU, MAY 20
On May 18, as social media timelines were abuzz with hasty updates on local elections' vote count, a series of videos of sexual-assault survivor – detailing her experiences of multiple instances of assault – first appeared on TikTok.
The videos were eventually unavailable for a scarce few minutes as TikTok, for reasons unknown, decided to suspend the account. However, that could not stop the virality of the narration as it was already being picked up by social media users, adn shared widely. Soon, she shared the same videos on her Instagram profile.
The survivor's experiences of inconceivable trauma, and the words of support, were together able to create a sound loud enough amid the election hullabaloo for people, and also the media to follow her story.
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Later in the day, a call for 'Occupy Baluwatar' was given out on social media platforms in solidarity with the survivor and to demand action against the perpetrators.
People have been asked to gather in Baluwatar at 9:00 am on May 20, so as to seek justice for survivors of sexual assault and to demand that the state correct prevalent laws on rape.
As per existing laws, there is a time limitation on filing of such cases. If a minor is a survivor, they have a year from their eighteenth birthday to file a case, and only a year to report their case to the police for a person of age.
