i

"Anbeshi"
Status and Dimension of
Violence against Women,
Reality Revealed
2011
WOREC
Balkumari, Lalitpur
ii
"Anbeshi"
Status and Dimension of Violence
against Women, Reality Revealed
A year book on Violence Against
Women 2011
Written By : Retika Rajbhandari
Edited by : Dr. Binayak Rajbhandari
Layout design: Ramesh Bhandari
Cover page design: Prismark Advertising and Marketing
Publication year: 2011
WOREC Nepal
All materials and data published in this book may be used with
due acknowledgement
This book publication was supported by Danish Embassy
Published by: WOREC
P.O.Box 13233 Kathmandu Nepal
Phone: 977-01-2123124, 5006373, 5006474
Fax: 977-01-5006373
Email: ics@worecnepal.org
Website: www.worecnepal.org

A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011

Table of Contents
FOREWORD ix
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
CHAPTER I 18
REVISITING ANBESHI'S HISTORY 19
1.1 Introducing Anbeshi 19
1.2 ObjectvesofAnbeshi 20
CHAPTER II 21
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 22
2.1.Introducton 22
2.2. VAW in Nepal 24
CHAPTER III 25
VAW DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 26
3.1.Paternsofviolenceandprevalencerates 26
3.2.VAWandfveDevelopmentRegions 26
3.3.Typesofviolence 28
CHAPTER IV 31
VAW BY TYPE OF PERPETRATORS 32
4.1.Domestcviolence 32
4.2.Socialviolence 33
4.3. Rape 35
4.4.Murder 38
4.5. Sexual abuse 39
4.6.Trafcking 39
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
CHAPTER V 41
AGE OF SURVIVORS 42
5.1 Age 42
5.2Below16agegroup 43
5.3The16-25agegroup 44
5.4.The26-35agegroup 44
5.5The36-45agegroup 45
5.6Theabove45yearsagegroup 46
CHAPTER VI 48
EDUCATION AND VAW 49
6.1Educatonalbackgroundofthesurvivor 49
6.2.Violenceagainstilliterategroups 51
6.3.Violencereportedbyliteratesurvivors 52
6.4.Violencereportedbysurvivorswithprimaryeducaton 53
6.5.Violencereportedbysurvivorswithsecondaryeducaton 53
6.6.VAWsurvivorswithhighersecondaryeducaton 54
CHAPTER VII 56
MARITAL STATUS AND VAW SURVIVORS 57
7.1.Maritalstatusofthesurvivor 57
7.2Marriedwomen 58
7.3.Unmarriedwomen 59
7.4.SeparatedWomen 60
7.5.ViolenceandWidows 61
CHAPTER VIII 62
OCCUPATION AND VIOLENCE 63
8.1.Occupatonofthesurvivorandtypesofviolence 63
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
8.2.AgriculturistsandtypesofVAW 65
8.3. Household work and types of VAW 65
8.4. Laborer and VAW 66
8.5.BusinessandVAW 67
8.6.SocialworkandtypesofVAW 67
8.7.WomenwhodonothingandVAW 68
CHAPTER IX 69
IMPACTS OF VIOLENCE ON SURVIVOR 70
9.1.TypesofimpactonVAWsurvivors 70
9.2.Impactofdomestcviolence 71
9.3.Impactofsocialviolence 71
9.4.Impactofrape 71
9.5.Impactofsexualabuseonsurvivors 72
9.6.Impactoftrafckingonsurvivors 73
9.7.HealthandVAWsurvivors 74
CHAPTER X 76
ETHNICITY OF SURVIVORS 77
10.1EthnicityandVAW 77
10.2.ViolenceamongBrahmanVAWsurvivors 78
10.3.ViolenceamongChhetriVAWsurvivors 79
10.4.Violenceamongteraidalits 79
10.5.Violenceamonghilldalits 80
10.6.ViolenceamongHillJanajat 81
10.7.Violenceamongterainon-dalit 81
10.8.Violenceamongmarginalizedgroups 82
10.9Violenceamongteraijanajat 83
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
LIST OF CHARTS
Chart3.1VAWinFiveDevelopmentRegions 27
Chart3.2TypesofViolence 29
Chart3.3VAWAccordingtoPerpetrators 30
Chart4.1DomestcViolencebyTypeofPerpetrators 32
Chart4.2SocialViolencebyTypeofPerpetrators 34
Chart4.3RapebyTypeofPerpetrators 35
Chart4.4MurderbyTypeofPerpetrators 38
Chart4.5SexualAbusebyTypeofPerpetrators 39
Chart4.6TrafckingbyTypeofPerpetrators 40
Chart5.1.aDistributonofAgeofSurvivors 42
Chart5.1.bTypesofVAWbyAgeGroup 43
Chart5.2DistributonofVAWSurvivorsbelow16years 43
Chart5.3.DistributonofVAWSurvivorsinthe16-25AgeGroup 44
Chart5.5DistributonofVAWSurvivorsinthe36-45AgeGroup 45
Chart5.4DistributonofVAWSurvivorsinthe26-35AgeGroup 45
Chart5.6DistributonofVAWSurvivorsabove45years 46
CHAPTER XI 85
BACKGROUND OF PERPETRATORS 86
11.1.Backgroundofperpetrators 86
11.2.Ethnicityofperpetrators 87
11.3.Sexofperpetrators 88
CONCLUSION 91
RECOMMENDATIONS 94
REFERENCES 100
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
Chart6.1.aEducatonofVAWSurvivors 49
Chart6.1.bTypesofVAWandEducaton 50
Chart6.2TypesofViolenceagainstIlliterateGroups 51
Chart6.3.aTypesofViolenceReportedbyliterateSurvivors 52
Chart6.3.b.IlliterateGroupsComparedwithLiterateandEducatedGroups 52
Chart6.4TypesofViolenceReportedbySurvivorswithPrimaryEducaton 53
Chart6.5TypesofViolenceReportedbySrvivorswithSecondaryEducaton 54
Chart6.6ViolenceReportedbyVAWSurvivorswithHigherSecondaryEducaton 54
Chart7.1.a.MaritalStatusoftheSurvivors 57
Chart7.1.bTypeofViolenceReportedbySurvivorswithVariousMaritalStatus 58
Chart7.2TypesofViolenceamongMarriedWomen 59
Chart7.3TypesofViolenceamongUnmarriedWomen 60
Chart7.4ViolenceReportedbySurvivorswhohavebeenSeparated 60
Chart7.5ViolenceReportedbyWidows 61
Chart8.1.aOccupatonoftheSurvivors 63
Chart8.1.bOccupatonalStatusandTypesofVAW 64
Chart8.1.c.TypesofVAWbyTraditonalandModernOccupatons 64
Chart8.2AgriculturistsandTypesofVAW 65
Chart8.3HouseholdWorkandTypesofVAW 66
Chart8.4LaborerandTypesofVAW 66
Chart8.5BusinessandTypesofVAW 67
Chart8.6SocialWorkandTypesofVAW 67
Chart8.7DoingNothingandTypesofVAW 68
Chart9.1.aTypesofImpactonVAWSurvivors 70
Chart9.1.b.DiferentTypesofImpactonVAWSurvivors 70
Chart9.2ImpactofDomestcViolence 71
Chart9.4ImpactofRapeonSurvivors 72
Chart9.3.ImpactofSocialViolence 72
Chart9.5ImpactofSexualAbuseonSurvivors 73
Chart9.6ImpactofTrafckingonSurvivors 73
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
Chart9.7HealthCheckupofSurvivors 74
Chart10.1.aEthnicityofsurvivors 77
Chart10.1.bTypesofVAWandEthnicity 78
Chart10.2ViolenceamongBrahmanVAWSurvivors 78
Chart10.3ViolenceamongChhetriVAWsurvivors 79
Chart10.4ViolenceamongTeraiDalits 80
Chart10.5ViolenceamongHillDalits 80
Chart10.6ViolenceamongHillJanajat 81
Chart10.7ViolenceamongTerainon-dalit 82
Chart10.8ViolenceamongMarginalizedGroups 82
Chart10.9ViolenceamongTeraiJanajat 83
Chart11.1AgeofPerpetrators 86
Chart11.2Ethnicityofperpetrators 87
Chart11.3SexofPerpetrators 89
ACRONYMS
DV DomestcviolenceDV
BS BikramSambat
ICISWICCE InternatonalCross-CulturalExchange
VAW ViolenceAgainstWomen
WDOs WomenDevelopmentOfces
WOREC Women'sRehabilitatonCentre
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
FOREWORD
ThisyearsAnbeshionceagainstresseshowcomplextheissueofviolenceagainst
womenis.TheresearchshowshowVAWisintricatelylinkedwithlargerideasof
masculinityandfemininityandtheirmanifestatoninextremelyprivatespacessuch
asoneshomeorpublicspacessuchastheworkplace.Thewaysinwhichsocial
violenceisefectedthroughawomansbodyandsanctonedbythestatemakes
violenceagainstwomenaformofpolitcalviolence.Inthisbackground,theactve
roleofthewomensmovementcanhelpcreateanenvironmentforthestateto
addressVAWissuescomprehensivelyandingently.
Violenceagainstwomenasacoreviolatonofhumanrightsofwomenhastoemerge
andreemergeinvariousdiscoursesaroundVAW.Thetmingcouldnothavebeen
moreaptthannowforthewomensrightsactvistsinNepal.Thecountryispresently
engaged in aprocess of socio-economic and politcal transformaton, which will
onlybecompletelyaccomplishedoncethecultureofrespectforwomensrights
isestablished.Thewomensmovementmusthaveaspecifcinfuenceinpushing
thewomensagendafromatransnatonalfeministandwomensrightsperspectve
especiallyduringtheconsttutonwritngprocess.Wearepositvethatthefndings
inAnbeshiwillcertainlyguidethepolitcalleadersofthenewemergingNepalto
becognizantoftherealityofNepaliwomenandatthesametme,willensureits
refectoninthenewconsttuton.
IwouldlikethankRupaShresthawhowasinvolvedintheprocessofdocumentaton
andcompilatonofthedata.Itisnoeasytasktosystematcallyorganizethevast
amountoffeldinputs thathavebeenmadeavailable bydiferentVAWafected
womenfromalloverNepal.IwouldalsoliketothankRetkaRajbhandariforher
hardworkinwritngthisreport.
BaburamGautam
ExecutveDirector
WOREC Nepal
1
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
1
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Peace tme violence is as debilitatng as that of war (Scheper-
Hughes and Bourgois, 2003). This statement resonates deeply
withallthewomenwhohaveallowedtheWORECAnbeshiteam
todocumenttheviolencetheyhavesuferedthroughouttheyear.
Nepalistryingtobuildpeaceaferadecadelongarmedconfict.
ThemostrecentdevelopmentoftheappointmentofDr.BabuRam
BhataraiasthenewPrimeMinistersuggestsapositvedirecton
tothecurrentstalematethatNepalhaswitnessedoverthepast
oneandahalfyearsintermsofwritngtheconsttuton.Inthis
largercomplicatedpolitcalprocess,womeninNepalstllareonly
atthefringe.ThemarginalityoftheNepaliwomencouldnotbe
beterstatedthanthroughthesharingoftheeverydayviolence
theyface.Domestcviolenceisbyfarthemostsensitveformof
violencethatNepaliwomenencounter.Peaceisintheprocess
of being materialized in the Nepali polity. However, the peace
thattheNepaliwomenenvisionappearstobeonlyafar-fetched
dream.
Violence against women is a manifestaton of unequal power
relatonsbetweenwomenandmen.Itisbotharesultandacause
ofgenderinequality.Itreferstoviolentactsthatareprimarilyor
exclusivelycommitedagainstwomen.TheUnitedNatonsGeneral
AssemblydefnesVAWasanyactofgenderbasedviolencethat
resultsin,orislikelytoresultin,physical,sexualormentalharm
or sufering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion
orarbitrarydeprivatonofliberty,whetheroccurringinpublicor
inprivatelife(UnitedNatons,1993).Peopleallovertheworld
havebeenincreasinglyvocalaboutVAW.Howevertherearestll
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
22
numerousinstanceswhenVAWissweptunderthecarpet.The
primaryreasonforsuchcoveringuphasbeentheacceptability
ofVAWduetoculturalnorms.PerpetratorsofVAWdonotjust
imbibe violent behavior, but simultaneously learn that these
behaviorsaresociallyacceptable.Theselearningsarereinforced
associetyandthestatefailtopunishperpetratorsofVAW.Atthe
coreisthefactthatVAWtakesplaceandtoleratedbecausewomen
andmendonothaveequalaccesstopowerinmostsocietes.
In this light, Violence against Women is disturbingly a growing
trend in Nepal. It manifests as a contnuum and encompasses
anarrayofabusestargetedatwomenandgirlsthroughouttheir
life cycles. Silence around the issue has been a characteristc
feature of VAW in Nepal. Although VAW has long been on the
internatonal agenda,it has only recently becomeimportant in
the Nepali gender policy context. Women in Nepal have been
contnuously raising their voice against violatons of womens
rights.Butitwasonlyin2008thatNepalwitnessedthepassageof
theDomestcViolenceandPunishmentAct2065accompaniedby
thedeclaratonofBS2067(2010)asant-VAWyear.Althoughnow
thatthereisalawagainstdomestcviolence,thestateobligaton
shouldexpandtoprotectonofwomenindiversefamilyforms,
andincorporatemeasuresbeyondprosecutonofprivateactorsto
encompassfurtherprotectonfromviolence,includingprovision
oflegalsupportandhealth,safety,andshelterrequirementsfor
the survivor, and to develop the obligaton to prevent VAW by
addressing its root causes.
1. VAW and Five Development Regions
A total of 1569 cases were collected by WOREC Nepal for the
3
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
3
purposeofanalysisofVAW.ThehighestpercentageofVAWwas
reported from the Eastern development region accountng for
66%,followedbytheCentraldevelopmentregionwith12%and
theMidwesterndevelopmentregionwith11%.Likewise,theFar
Westerndevelopmentregionaccountedfor10%andtheWestern
regionaccountedfor1%ofthetotalcases.
2. Types of Violence
a. Domestc violence
Domestcviolenceaccountsfor64%(1002outof1569cases)
ofthetotalreportedcases.Likewise,17%accountsforsocial
violence,8%rape,and4%murder.Unequalpowerrelatonsin
boththecontextofafamilyaswellastheState;andpersonsin
authoritycomprisethecontextforviolence.Husbands(74%)
and family (26%) account for all perpetrators of domestc
violence.
b. Social violence
1.Socialviolenceisthesecondmostfrequenttypeofviolence.
Atotalof266casesor17%ofthetotalVAWcaseswereunder
this category. 91% of social violence was perpetrated by
neighborswhile9%wasbyothers(25outof266cases).
2. For the purpose of Anbeshi, allegatons of witchcraf fall
under social violence. This year we saw a total of 48 cases
ofwitchcrafaccusatons.Amongthesecases,11caseswere
perpetratedbyfamilymembersandhusbandwhereasrestof
thecaseshavewereperpetratedbynonfamilypeople.
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
44
c. Rape
RapeaccountsforthethirdhighestcategoryofVAW.Inall,124
(8%) cases were reported. Neighbors are responsible for 73
percentofthereportedcases,othersandunidentfed(15%)
whilefamilymembers(8%)andhusbands(4%)combinedare
responsiblefor12percentofthecases.
d. Murder
Murderwasreportedin47casesandrepresentedarelatvely
smallproporton(3%)ofthetotalVAWcases.51.1%(or24out
of47cases)ofallreportedcasesofmurdersarecommitedby
husbands,17.0%(or8cases)wascommitedbyotherfamily
membersand23.4%(or11cases)wascommitedbyneighbors.
e. Sexual abuse
Sexualabuseaccountsfor64cases(4%)ofthetotalreported
cases of VAW. 53.1% (34 of 64 cases) of sexual abuse is
commited by neighbors. Husbands, other family members,
and other/unidentified individuals account for 15.6% (10
cases),10.9%(7cases),and20.3%(13cases)ofsexualabuse
respectvely.
f. Trafcking
Regarding trafcking of women, the data reveals that the
highestnumberofcases(61%)(14of23cases)iscarriedout
byneighbors,followedbyother/unidentfed(35%),andfamily
member(4%).
3. Age group and VAW
While VAW cuts across all age groups, according to this years
5
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
5
Anbeshi,itappearstobeconcentratedonwomenbelow46years
ofage.Themostafectedareinthe26-35agegroupfollowedby
the 16-25 age group. Almost 40% are below the age of 25 and
7%arebelowtheageofsixteen,34%areinthe26-35agegroup,
followed by33%inthe16-25agegroup,16%inthe36-45age
group.8%areabove46yearsofage.
4. Educaton and VAW
Literatewomen(41%)(630of1569cases)consttutethehighest
category of VAW survivors. The women in the illiterate group
accounted for about 18% of all survivors of violence. 15% of
the total reported cases of violence occur among women with
secondary education, followed by 11% among women with
primary educaton, 11% among women with higher secondary
educaton,and4%amongunidentfedcategory.
5. Marital status and VAW
Thehighestpercentageofallreportedcasesofviolenceisfound
amongmarriedwomenaccountngfor77%(1223of1569cases).
The group of unmarried women account for 15% followed by
separatedwomen(4%)andwidow(3%).Thefndingsonceagain
demonstrate that home is not always a safe space for women.
As Veena Das points out, home actually becomes a terrorizing
spaceforwomenwhodontproperlydotheirjobofmaintaining
an ideal home (Das, 2008). Although accurate informaton on
the extent of domestc violence is difcult to obtain because
ofextensiveunderreportng,thedatadobringtotheforethat
married women within their own homes are prone to most
violence.
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
66
6. Occupaton and VAW
Womenengagedinagriculture(42%)reportedthemostnumber
ofcasesofviolenceagainstwomen.ItisnotasurpriseforNepal
giventhatitispredominantlyanagrarianeconomy.Agriculture
isfollowedbyhouseholdwork(24%),labor(11%),andwomen
who do nothing (10%). Note modern occupatons such as
government service, non government service, social work, and
businessmakeupabout9%ofthetotal.
7. VAW survivor impacts
Fourdiferenttypesofimpactwereidentfed:social,economic,
physical,andmental.Thementalefect(65%)onwomenisthe
highestunderallcategoriesofVAW,followedbyphysicalefect
(22%),socialefect(8%),andeconomicefect(5%).
8. Ethnicity of survivors
Irrespectve of ethnicity, domestc violence stands out as the
mostreportedformofVAWreiteratngthefactthathomeisthe
most unsafe space for Nepali women. The highest number of
casesarereportedbytheHillJanjat(23%),followedbyChhetri
(17%),andTeraiJanjat(16%).HillDalit,Brahmin,andTerainon-
Dalitallreported11%ofthetotalcasesrespectvely.TeraiDalit
wasfoundtoreport9%ofthetotalcasesandothermarginalized
groupsonlyreported2%.
9. Background of perpetrators
Theperpetratorsintheagegroup26-35accountfor30%ofall
perpetrators, followed by the age group 36-45 which accounts
for21%.16-25yearsaccountfor15%andtheagegroupabove
46yearsaccountsfor11%.Below16yearsaccountsforlessthan
7
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
7
10. Conclusion
To understand the women and the violence they face, it is imperative
to focus on how the state constructs its policies on women related
issues. Beyond the policies, it is equally imperative to understand
the societys predominant notion on women. Gendered violence
has often gone unrecognized or has been treated as normal not
just by the state but also by people who experience it. Therefore,
the focus of the womens movement and any anti VAW initiatives
has to be on the experiences of those that have suffered VAW. It
is necessary to focus on how women themselves understand and
derive meaning out of those negative experiences. Women must be
in center stage in order to fnd a common solution to end violence
against women.
Especially in the context of post confict peace process, it becomes
extra necessary to understand the changing context of violence.
Understanding womens notion of peace in order to understand
what constitutes as violence and peace for the women themselves
will become a segue to capturing the essence of violations and
creating specifc measures to address them.
11. Recommendatons
1. Systematic studies on different forms of violence against
onepercentofthecases.Finally,23%oftheperpetratorsageis
unidentfed. The highest percentage of perpetrators are from
Hilljanajatsconsistngof19%followedbyanequalpercentage
ofChhetriandTeraijanajats,bothat16%.Terainondalitsand
Brahminsareeachfoundtobe12%ofthetotalperpetrators.
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
88
women across a wider range of women is urgently needed
to better understand the perspective of the women who
go through these negative experiences.
2. Home is the most unsafe space for women especially
when it comes to domestic violence. This is a critical issue
that needs further addressing. It becomes imperative to
investigate the reasons for women who choose to continue
living under threat of domestic violence.
3. The positive step from the government of Nepal to establish
safe houses in different parts of Nepal must be applauded
and its close collaboration with the Women Development
Offces (WDOs) is a step towards sustainability of this
support system for survivors.
4. Since almost 50% of women below the age of 16 are
survivors of rape, it is pertinent that young girls receive
extra attention in the healing process. As the fndings in
the recent research on rape shows that for those with
psychological problems, there was no support to enable
them to fnd coping mechanisms and heal, (WOREC/
ISIS WICCE -forthcoming publication) women have been
further isolated and at time even forced to live in hiding.
5. The prevalent impunity for reported cases of VAW should
end immediately. Impunity in Nepal has been further
complicated in the post-war phase in which perpetrators
affliated with different political parties are protected by
infuential leaders.
9
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
9
6. The research shows that mental health has emerged as a
primary health impact for the survivors of VAW. There is
an urgent need to train community level health workers
as psycho social counselors who are sensitive to issues
of VAW and who can readily identify symptoms of VAW
and counsel survivors.
7. VAW is still under reported in Nepal. Efforts to document
VAW cases by various feminist organizations should
continue so that there is continuous pressure on the state to
take it upon themselves the responsibility to reduce VAW.
A sustained and systematic action from various feminist
organizations will certainly pressure the state to cultivate
political will to eradicate VAW.
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
10 10
+|+|r| =|r|m
- ===+ -= =:= =-- +== -=- =+ -c
-+ +-== = :=, - = ~-:= -=- |+ -=
~|+ =-= -=+ =--= == = =- - +--+ -=
=- = ++ =- = ==: ==- -= +~-- =-=-==:
==- +- =c - += |+ + == =-+ ::+c -
-+-+ ++== - + c =-+- = -+ == ==|+
+-= - -+ === ==- ~|+ : t - -=+ + +c-=
=--= : = ~;:=: -= ++-=+ -=a =-=:
|+ =+=+ ++ =+= =- =+c =- == ===
=- -+ ++== - += =-=-=+ =-- =--+ ---
- + c =-- =--= - + - += =-=-== - + - - =
+ -- + + c =-=-== t =+= =- +-+
=a= -= ~ -- + + =-- = ~ =- -= -=+
=+ - - += - + + == - + c, - +- - += =-=-==
=- + =-- - =~ + =t c
=-== - - - = =-= + = - + ===- a
==+= = ~|+ - = = :+ -~ + +- +-+=
- - === =r= =+= =-== -- -==+ +==:
=-=c ==a =+ =-=~+ +~= ===+ =:+
=+= =- ==+ - += -= === =-==: +, =-=+,
===+ = -+ =+= =- +c :, ++, +=+, = -
- ==-+ += = = == +==+ =- +-==- += =c
- =+-+ =-=+ ---+- --- = =a=- ===+
=--= +~-- =c ~- =-- = +=-==: =-=-:+
-= ~-c ==a = =, === =-== --
- =+ -:= =-= =s=- -=+ = r= t =:- + c =-
-- +- -~- +-= =-= -=+ = =+ -- + c
11
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
11
== --= =-+-+ ==-+ =+= -==: --+- =r=
+-+ =+= - + c -=+ +:+-== -==+ =--
=- =+ -~: ===+ =+= --+|+ =-== - - - =+
=---= |+ = =+c- === == +:+-==: ===
- -=+ =-- =---==: t- =-c =s + + -
~- + == ==== a= =-= ++ ===- +-=+
+-= - =-== -= -c ===: =-c
= ++ = - +== =-== -- -= =-=-+ =+= t
=|+ c === =-= - + -= ==~ -=+ +
-c- ~- + =+- =c - +== =-== -- -=+
== =+ == -- |== - - - + c =-==
-- -= =-== = ~|+ + === ~:=+ + ~|- +-
- += = :+ --= === ~ =+ =-- r- = + c
- +=+ =-=-== =-= =++ ---+ -:= ==-
=-= =s= =:- + c- ==+ +-= --=+ =- -=
= = -= === | - -- +- --+ = -= --
=: =-== -- -= -:+ - - =|+ = -=
= -= -:+ +-- =:=+ + ~|- +- === --+
+-+ =--+ =-=-=+ = -+ =- == --
=- +- - +:+=: -: ===+ = +:- - +~--=:
+- -== +-= ==- =-=+ =+=-=, =-- +:-=:
+- -, ---=, = , = =+=+ ==- , ===- =-== - -
-=+ ==+ == ==+ =r= +-=: -== =- =+=-=
-+= =- =+ =-=: ==- =- =-=+ c
). =ir=|=|i r= ir=| r t i+|= v| xr=
=-== -- -=+ -= - =-+ == = + - +==
=== - -= =--= =+=- = + = =-==
-- -=+ =-== = ~ t +-=== -- +--,
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
12 12
==+c - + -- ===== + -- == +====
=+=- =|+ | =-- +-- =+====
+-- +===== =+=- =|+ =
-. ir=|+| +|rr=
+; r = ir=|
=-= - =+ += =--=== - + -- -
=--=== - -= = - = - + +:=
=-- +-- ===+ -=, = +-- =+
+-- -= ~|+ +:= +- =+
=~= -==- ===- a ==+ =++ +-
=a-== -=+ == ---- -=c- =
- =+ +:+== =- +-+ =-=
-- ~|+ +:=
; =|=|i+ ir=|
=-= -=== ===+ -= = +++ +
== -- -= ~|+ +:= =-= -=== === ---
-= =- +-- == +++ -= =-=- ~|+
+:= ===+ -=== +-- c= +=
+-- === ~|+ =
- =- = +=+ = ++ =--= ===+
-= =-=- +c == - +=+ = ++ =
-= =--= ~|+ +:= ==== -= =--=
+-+ =-= =-= + =--= +-
-+ =a-== =|+ +:=
; x=|r+|r
=++ =- =r= - = --= - + c, =-
- -= = c =++ =-== +--
13
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
13
c= +=, + -- == +-=- -~|+ = ~|+
+:= ~- +-+ =-== = =-=
= === - +-- =- ~|+ =
; rr|
== -=+ = = -= += ~|+ +:= , =-
-= - + c ==== +-- == -
-= =- =-=, +-- = -= +-+
=-== - +-- c= += ~|+ =
z; | = r|r
=+=- =-== - -= = - =--+ =-
- + +:= ==== +-- - == -=
= - = -- c= += ~|+ = =- , +-+
== =-=, ==+-=- -= + =a= +=
- +-- -=, +-- -= -
+-- -= = - =--+ =- ~|+ =
; x i=
=-= =--+ ==+=, = ~ + - +--
- = -= =--= c= +=, =-- +--
==+-=- -= + +-- +-+ =-==
~|+ +:=
:. a= r ==r r =ir=|=|i r= ir=|
=-= -= = == ==-+ =-=-== -- ~|- +-
== - + =- = + == =-= - = - - ~ += ==
==-= t - + +:= === +- -- == ==-+
=-=-= t =+= +~-- ~|+ +:= ~- ==+c
-- == ==-+ =-=-= - + +:= -= +~--
=-=== +-- - - =-+ +-- - -
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
14 14
=-+ - + = +-- -- == ==-+,
+-- -- == ==-, - +-- - == ==-
= +-- - -~ =+ =-=-= - + +:=
x. imv|| r =ir=|=|i r= ir=|
=+=- =--=== = ~ + =- +-- -
= - -= +~-- =-=-= = - + = -
=-=-= = +--, ===+ --+ +|+ +--,
+=+ --+ +|+ +-- =-= ===+ --+
+|+ +-- =-=-== -= ~|+ =
+-- -= +~-- =-=-=+ + =-- = + |-
t. |ir+ r| r =ir=|=|i r= ir=|
- --+ =--+ =+= - == -= -= = ~ + = -
+-- - = -- ---- =-=-= -== +~--
~|+ +:= =-- =---- =-=, =-== c;|
= + -+- =-=-== - = ~|+ +:= == -=:=
+ +- + = c ~- =-=-= =- = +- = - c --
-- =+ ~-: =-= =: -=- -=- -=-- -==
= - =-= -= =- = - +=+ c =, -=
= -=+ =--=+ ==-= ==- +=- === c +-~-
==== ==+- =- =- = - -==- = - +- ==
+-- -= ---- =-=-= = ~ t -= +~-- ~|+
+ ==: -=|+ c
v. m| r =ir=|=|i r= ir=|
= ~ t - + + = =-: ~|+ =-=-= -=
+~-- ~|+ +:= - += + ++- ~|+ = = = +-
====+ -= - :- =-- + - + == += -,
== +- +- +== ==- -~|+ =-=-=
15
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
15
-= +~-- ~|+ +:= =+-+ + =-- =+ = -,
= =+ = -, ===+ += =+= =-: ~|+ -=
+~-- =-=-= +-- - + +:=
. =ir=|=|i r= ir=|+| =rr=
=-== -- -== =-=-== = +==+ ===+,
=+, + =-=+ ==-= -- = + - ~= -
==-=== = ~ t =-=+ -, ==+c +
--, ===+ = =+ - + +:=
=. v|iar=+| |a|a|
- = + ~-- + = =-=-=== = ~ + +-: =-=- -
- + +:= ==+c + -: =-=- - - +
+:= +-: =-, =-- -: = - =- =+=
- + +:= -: =- == =-+=r=+ ==-+
- - + +:=
. |z++| svi=
= ~ + +:+-= -- == ==-+ - + +:=
==+c - == ==-+ -, -- == ==-+
- -~ =+ - + = - -~ +=
== + +:+ +-- ~ += - + +:= =-= -
+:+-=+ == - -- =+ - = ~ t +:+-=
+-: =-=-+ - + +:= ~- + -: =-=- -
=r== - - + +:= == = -: = - =-
=-- - - + =r== - + +:=
). i=+|
=-= =-= -- -==: - == =-=== ==+-
= -== -=- ---==: + ==- =-=+ - c ---=+
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
16 16
==-, =a+ =--+- =-=-===+ ===+ =-=, ==-
+- -c- ===+ = :+ -==: == =+ - :- -=
+~---== == - === =+= =c- =- ===: -=+
=+= =: - -= =-= = =- - =-= -= -:+
+- +- ===- -= +~-- =-=-=+ =-~--== + -
- - + c =-- =-=-== =- -+=+ =- ~--==:
+= c- ==+ + = -+-c- ~- + = + - - -
= -c =-== -- -=+ ==+ == =~ ==+-
-+-- =-==: + -= - +c
== ::+=- - ++=+ =~= -=+ +---
=~ =+-==: - =-a =-=+- ~|+ c
=-=-=+ == -= - + - ~- + - +=-+
== -= =-+ +--= ===- --=: == +-
=- - =+=-= -+= +--==- +c
)). =v|r=
+ -= =-- -+=+ =-~--== == + =-=-=+
= ---- =+= - --+ +--++ +
=-=-==: == = =-== - - - =+ -~-
=+-= +=: ===--= =- = c
== = -=+ =~= =-=-=+ ==
=~ == - -- - + == +- =-+- =
|+ =- -= = - = -= + ~+ =
r- =-=-=+ +--= ===- =- = - c
= - +=+ -~- ~== = - =-= -+- =- - +=
=++ =+=+ += --=- = = c =-=
17
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
17
-+= +===== =- =-+= +~---=+ ==
=-= = --+ = = +--+ +-= += -
= - - = -+ ~-: + -= =++ +
~|+= , + -==: =-a ---=+= = -
=+=+ =:- =-=+ c
z == =|+ =-== ~|+ - =+ =--== - -
= + -:---+ == - - + c =-= :+c+ =--=
-~- =- -+ +== =-: +:+-==: +~-=
- --== - = - =-= - +== -:---+ =--
~- === - =:- + c
= == ===-= - = + ~-- =-=-== = r=-= =-=+
---== == - + |+ c == = =-== --
-=+ == =- -= ===+ ---= +=+--=
=-== -- -=+ =- === +a ===-
=+- =: =- ===+ -= + -== :- =
|+ c
c - +== =-== -- -= =~ +- - ==-
=+- + c - =-= =++= += - -~-
== --== =~= - =- + =-= - =+
=--==: --- -+c, === = =-= -=
=- =- ==: -- =+= - =+c
=-== -- -= ==+ == =-= =++=
+= - == --== = =--- =~=- ===-
= == =-= -= == =- :-ca ===-
+c
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
CHAPTER I
19
Violence against Women Year Book A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
CHAPTER I
REVISITING ANBESHI'S HISTORY
1.1 Introducing Anbeshi
Violenceagainstwomen(VAW)hasremainedoneofthemost
signifcantbutleasttalkedaboutissuesthatNepalfacestoday.
AlthoughartclesonVAWdoappearindailynewspapersand
periodicals,thereisahugegapinsystematcdocumentaton
ofVAWatthenatonallevel.
Withanatempttolessenthegap,since2008,asayearbook
ofWORECNepal,Anbeshiisstrivingtoshedlightnotonlyon
variousformsofviolencethatarealreadywidelydiscussedbut
alsoonlesserknownforms.Anbeshihassincerelyatempted
to be the voice of women who face violence everyday. In
additon,Anbeshialsoexamineswomensresistancestrategies
andcollectveefortstosubverttheestablishednormssothat
women are no longer seen only as survivors but as change
agentsintheircommunity.
ThedocumentatonprocesswasinitallytriggeredbytheRoyal
Coup of February 2005, which had led to increase violence
and human rights violaton of every form, including VAW.
The documentaton process gained momentum since 2007,
afer WOREC Nepal started releasing a report every four
monthsandorganizingmediainteractonsonthetrendsand
paternsofVAW.Asacontnuatonofthequarterlyupdates,
WORECin2008launchedayearbookonVAW,whichwasthe
frstatempttocompilecasesofVAWfromvarioussources,
including WORECs own documentaton from all its district
chapters;casesreportedinthemedia;casesdocumentedby
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
20
otherNGOs;andcasesthatcametoWomensDevelopment
OfcesthroughoutNepal.
1.2 Objectves of Anbeshi
1.2.1 To map out the scenario of VAW in Nepal
and to pressure the government to formulate
relevantlaws,policies,andactonplanstowards
eliminatngVAW.
1.2.2 To identfy key areas that will ensure survivors
accesstojustceandlobbyingthegovernmentto
efectvelyaddressthoseareas.
1.2.3 To identify the needs of VAW survivors and
advocateforrelevantsupportmechanisms.
CHAPTER II
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
22
CHAPTER II
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
2.1. Introducton
Peacetmeviolenceisasdebilitatngasthatofwar(Scheper-
Hughes and Bourgois, 2003). This statement resonates
deeply with all the women who have allowed the WOREC
Anbeshiteamtodocumenttheviolencetheyhavesufered
throughout the year. Nepal is trying to build peace afer a
decade long armed confict. The most recent development
of the appointment of Dr. Babu Ram Bhatarai as the new
Prime Minister suggests a positve directon to the current
stalematethatNepalhaswitnessedoverthepastoneanda
halfyearsintermsofwritngtheconsttuton.Inthislarger
complicatedpolitcalprocess,womeninNepalstllareonlyat
thefringe.ThemarginalityoftheNepaliwomencouldnotbe
beterstatedthanthroughthesharingoftheeverydayviolence
theyface.Domestcviolence(DV)isbyfarthemostsensitve
formofviolencethatNepaliwomenencounter.Peaceisinthe
processofbeingmaterializedintheNepalipolity.However,
thepeacethattheNepaliwomenenvisionappearstobeonly
afar-fetcheddream.
Violence is a phenomenon that varies in its presence, its
character,anditsseverity.Therefore,theneedistoanalyse
theideologyofviolence,trytoassesshowandwhyvarious
actsofviolencearerepudiated,ignored,denied,praised,or
glorifed (Jackman, 2002). Physical violence such as injury,
disfigurement, bodily alteration, functional impairment,
physicalrestraintorconfnementandevendeath,infringeon
ourbasicdesireforphysicalsurvivalandpreservatonofbodily
23
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
integrity and autonomy. The psychological impacts include
fear, anxiety, anguish, shame, or diminished self-esteem.
Thematerialoutcomesincludedestructon,confscaton,or
defacementofpropertyorthelossofearnings;andthesocial
outcomes comprises of public humiliaton, stgmatzaton,
exclusion,imprisonment,banishmentorexpulsion,whichare
allhighlyconsequentalandsometmesdevastatng(Jackman,
2002).Violencecanhaveaprolongedefectofenenduring
longaferphysicalinjurieshavehealed.
Violenceagainstwomenisamanifestatonofunequalpower
relatonsbetweenwomenandmen.Itisbotharesultanda
cause of gender inequality. It refers to violent acts that are
primarilyorexclusivelycommitedagainstwomen.TheUnited
NatonsGeneralAssemblydefnesVAWasanyactofgender
basedviolencethatresultsin,orislikelytoresultin,physical,
sexualormentalharmorsuferingtowomen,includingthreats
of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty,
whetheroccurringinpublicorinprivatelife(UnitedNatons,
1993).Peopleallovertheworldhavebeenincreasinglyvocal
about VAW. However there are still numerous instances
whenVAWissweptunderthecarpet.Theprimaryreasonfor
such covering up has been the acceptability of VAW due to
culturalnorms.PerpetratorsofVAWdonotjustimbibeviolent
behavior,butsimultaneouslylearnthatthesebehaviorsare
sociallyacceptable.Theselearningsarereinforcedassociety
andthestatefailtopunishperpetratorsofVAW.Atthecoreis
thefactthatVAWtakesplaceandtoleratedbecausewomen
andmendonothaveequalaccesstopowerinmostsocietes.
A Year Book on Violence against Women 2011
24
2.2. VAW in Nepal
Violence against Women is disturbingly a growing trend in
Nepal.Itmanifestsasacontnuumandencompassesanarray
ofabusestargetedatwomenandgirlsthroughouttheirlife
cycles. Silence around the issue has been a characteristc
featureofVAWinNepal.AlthoughVAWhaslongbeenonthe
internatonalagenda,ithasonlyrecentlybecomeimportantin
theNepaligenderpolicycontext.WomeninNepalhavebeen
contnuouslyraisingtheirvoiceagainstviolatonsofwomens
rights. But it was only in 2008 that Nepal witnessed the
passageoftheDomestcViolenceandPunishmentAct2065
accompanied by the declaraton of 2010 (BS 2067) as ant-
VAWyear.Althoughnowthatthereisalawagainstdomestc
violence,thestateobligatonshouldexpandtoprotectonof
women in diverse family forms, and incorporate measures
beyond prosecuton of private actors to encompass further
protectonfromviolence,includingprovisionoflegalsupport
andhealth,safety,andshelterrequirementsforthesurvivor,
andtodeveloptheobligatontopreventVAWbyaddressingits
rootcauses.Thestateshouldbecarefulnottoequatedomestc
violence (DV) to VAW, and must defne the broad range of
womensexperiencesofviolencewithinfamilialrelatonships
as well as outside,being cognizant of the multple layers of
discriminatonthatcombinetoheightenthevulnerabilityof
women and their experience of violence. Equatng DV with
VAW will homogenize the diverse experiences of women,
and fragment the experience of each individual woman by
neglecting womens experience of violence in the public
sphere.
This is the executive summary of the ANBESHI 2011 published by
WOREC Nepal.

For full report contact
ics@worecnepal.org, 977-1-5006373
www.worecnepal.org