KATHMANDU: In four months of the current fiscal year, a total of 98 incidents of child sexual harassment have been recorded in the country.

The revelation has alarmed the stakeholders because it has become a commonplace crime despite continued advocacy against it.

The Central Child Welfare Board maintained this record with continuous monitoring of the data brought forth by various media. Among these, 97 victims were girls who were raped, while a boy was sexually abused by a foreign national.

The Board's Information Officer Ram Bahadur Chand shared that among these cases of abuse, 12 girls were the victims of gang rape, two of whom have now developed mental health problems.

Further segregation of data showed that 36 girls were raped by their relatives, 19 by neighbours, 11 by unidentified persons, six by teachers, four by house-owners, and three by government employees.

Moreover, there have been 17 cases of incest, among which nine cases report the father as the rapist. Among the perpetrators, 15 were boys while people over 60 raped seven girls, added the Information Officer.

An analysis of data based on age groups of the child victims of rape showed that nine girls were five years old or below, 19 were between 6 to 10, 44 between 11 to 14, and 25 between 15 to 18.

Central Child Welfare Board's former executive director Tarak Dhital said, it is primarily the responsibility of the parents to protect their children from harmful practices and atrocities as violence, abuse, exploitation, discrimination, kidnapping, neglect and bullying.

The youngest victim is from Mahottari. The perpetrators kidnapped an eight-month-old girl and killed her after raping. The highest number of victims are between the age group of 11 to 14.

Among the incidents, the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta of Kanchanpur has been the most publicly discussed case. The facts and truth behind this rape and murder have not come out in public and police investigation is still on.

Out of the incidents of rape that occurred in 46 districts during this period, the district-wise data shows that most of the rape cases have been reported from Saptari and Palpa districts, five incidents of rape each.

The girls are not only sexually abused, but they are also the victims of child marriage, child labour, murder, trafficking, abduction and physical and mental torture.

There is a need of collective and concerted efforts from the side of the state, civil society and parents to reduce the growing incidence of all forms of abuse against children and to ensure protection of the rights and well-being of children.

(with inputs from Rastriya Samachar Samiti)