Kathmandu, January 21

The government has failed to provide security for girls and women in the country, says Mohna Ansari, human rights commissioner of Nation Human Rights Commission.

Speaking at a programme organised by National Women Commission on ‘Increasing women violence and state accountability’, today, she said increasing violence against women in the country had forced them to migrate to foreign lands seeking security.

Ansari said, “Poor police investigation, political protection for perpetrators and lack of justice, among others, has forced women to migrate to foreign nations. But women have to face violence even in foreign countries.”

She said despite the NHRC’s recommendation for punishment of human rights violators,the government has been protecting culprit(s). She also informed that NHRC had prepared a report on Nirmala’s rape and murder case and it would be made public soon.

In the same way, speaking in the programme, Superintendent of Police Kiran Rana said Nepal Police was working in all local levels and districts to control violence against women. She said  violence against women couldn’t be curbed only with the effort of Nepal Police and the onus lay on civil society and every individual to help Nepal Police in its mission.

SP Rana informed that 5,377 domestic violence cases were recorded with Nepal Police in the past six months. From July to December of 2018, around 876 rape cases were registered. “These are cases of violence that were registered at police stations in the past six months. These are just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.

Meanwhile, non-government organisations working with domestic violence claimed that the government had become insensitive towards the issue of violence against women  and was hiding facts from the general public.

Lily Thapa, founder and president of Women for Human Rights claimed that despite seeking investigation report on the Nirmala rape and murder case time and again, the government had failed to provide any information.

“The government has violated the right to information and failed to be transparent,” she charged.