KATHMANDU, MAY 20

Nepali Congress central member Arzu Rana Deuba has called for the legislature to bring amendment to the existing law on rape in Nepal.

"It takes time for rape survivors to articulate their pain and suffering as well as muster courage to fight for justice," Deuba said, urging the Parliament to amend the prevailing law to deal with the rape case from the justice point of view of the survivors.

She pointed out the need to bring the current provision such as lodging complaint within a year which she noted is meting out injustice to the victims.

Citing the reference of international best practices on legally dealing with rape case in a way to dispense justice to survivors, NC leader Deuba demanded amendment to the legal provision to extend the timeline for lodging complaint.

Deuba, who has also been pitching for women rights since long, called for the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizen and National Women Commission to immediately take ahead the process for amending the existing law and also urged the Parliament to endorse the amendment through fast track. She advocated for free expression of rape survivors about their suffering and right to seek legal recourse.

"Nepal should remove the provision of limiting time for registering complaint in the rape case which is a crime against humanity. The law should be amended to give a feeling of justice to the survivors," she noted in a statement today.

The statement came urging the concerned stakeholders to swiftly bring amendments to the law when a gruesome rape case of a model has gone viral in Kathmandu.

Hundreds of protestors have hit the streets today demanding justice to the survivor who was allegedly raped on temptation in Kathmandu.

A version of this article appears in the print on May 21, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.