Kathmandu, March 10

Three major student unions submitted a joint memorandum to Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa today, drawing his attention towards increasing violence against women and children of late and demanded immediate action to curb such violence.

A delegation of students led by All Nepal National Free Students Union chair Nabina Lama, Nepal Students Union president Nain Singh Mahar, and All Nepal National Independent Students Union chair Ranjit Tamang submitted the memorandum to the home minister at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The memorandum calls for immediate arrest of the culprits involved in mistreating a 18-year-old woman in Ghodaghodi Municipality in Kailali on the charge of practicing witchcraft and those involved in the rape of an eight-year-old girl in Parsa last week. The students also demanded stern action against the culprits and urged the government to provide timely justice and reparation to the victims.

The student organisations attributed lapses in laws and impunity for the sharp rise in violence against women.

Receiving the memorandum, Home Minister Thapa said the government was committed to taking stringent action against the perpetrators of heinous crimes such as rape. He said those guilty of rape would not be let off the hook, adding that he had directed the security bodies to take action against the perpetrators.

He said he had been further energised to fight crime as all the student organisations came to the ministry.