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News of violence causes much furor. There are rallies and sit-ins, protesting against the violation of human rights and demanding the government punish the culprits immediately. As necessary as that might be to ensure justice, we should perhaps mull over the idea of violence-reduction rather than just reacting to its consequences. A good place to start, I believe, could be each one of us speaking up in situations that might trigger violence.

There is generally an eerie silence around violence until it results in a rape or murder. People would rather turn the other way and walk away than get involved in matters that don’t concern them. A public brawl will draw spectators but no one will try to stop it. We turn a blind eye to domestic violence, terming it ‘buda-budi ko jhagada’—something that must be resolved in private. We make many excuses for men’s acts of violence at home: He must have been stressed, the workload was immense and he snapped, he didn’t know what he was doing because he was drunk, being some of the most absurd yet common ones.

My next-door neighbors are raucous. The father and his two sons get into heated arguments and throw things around. The scathing language they use makes my ears bleed. My husband tells me they have always been nasty. Recently, one of the sons reportedly hit the father before leaving the house in a fit of rage. I’m sure everyone in the neighborhood stops doing whatever it is they were doing and listens in on the drama—there is never such pin-drop silence otherwise—but they all draw their curtains and shut their doors.

While it’s important to be mindful of people’s boundaries, maybe a simple ‘what’s wrong?’ might make these men more conscious of their actions. I think no one, not even the neighbors across the street whom they are super chummy with, ever inquiring about the hullabaloo they create has made them bolder. Their fights have gotten worse and they go on for longer.   

Advocate Ishan Raj Onta says intervening is a personal choice and there is no right or wrong. However, as a part of a society that is actively changing, it might be necessary to not let things slide as personal matters in order to stop them from spiraling out of control. Two years ago, Jenny Khadka’s husband threw acid at her because, having had enough of his abuses, she had run away from him. The incident occurred in Kalopul in Kathmandu where her family had been living for years. “There were many people around when my ex-husband was threatening to throw acid at me. Nobody said a word. They just gawked or hurried away. And most of them knew me and my family,” says Jenny.

She says she wished someone would say something. She believes it would have deterred him. The fact that no one spoke gave him courage and made him feel he could get away with it. Jenny suffered 20 percent burns and spent two months at hospital where she underwent nine surgeries. Her story makes me shudder every time I think about it. After Jenny was attacked, no one came to her rescue. It was only after a while that two people helped her: A man gave her a bottle of water to pour over the skin that acid was eating away and a lady passing by on a scooter stopped to see why she was yelling and made arrangements to take her to the hospital. Till then, it was all whispers and surreptitious glances. No one called the ambulance or the police. People watched while she screamed in pain. Doesn’t apathy make us equally guilty of a crime?

Onta says all it takes is for one person to break the silence and more voices will join in. The chain reaction is immense and impactful, he says. He shares a simple incident, as an example. Recently, on the airplane shuttle he was on he saw someone toss a food wrapper on the floor. He could feel many people stiffen but no one said a word. Onta decided to speak up and told the man to pick up his trash. At least five more people supported him. “There will be others like you who will eventually speak up. People tend to hesitate. Someone needs to start and that creates a ripple effect,” he says.

Every society has conflicts, he adds, but how we deal with them is an indicator of how far we have come. Conflict, he says, is a result of low tolerance and little interaction. It can be dealt with in a civilized way, without leading to violence, if people engage in constructive dialogue. But, according to psychologist Minakshi Rana, it’s people’s inability to accept views contrary to their own that prevents effective communication.

Rana adds that ours is a shy society that prefers to keep violence hidden rather than confront it. But that, she says, is a harmful practice. If we let it go on, the anger that simmers underneath will eventually boil over. Talking about my neighbors, the psychologist says the animosity that’s there in the family might spill over elsewhere. Studies have shown that the longer a situation is allowed to escalate the greater the risk that it will result in aggressive behavior and violence.

However, intervening doesn’t necessarily mean self-involvement, as in physically trying to break up the altercation. Onta says you should assess the risk before getting involved, lest you make matters worse. But you can call the police and report the incident. Rana says she has done that quite a few times. Recently, she saw a man beat up a woman in her locality and promptly dialed 100. Actions like these can prevent circumstances from worsening and nip violence in the bud.

We tend to hold the government accountable for everything that happens in our society. And while plans and policies are imperative long-term solutions, individual action is just as essential and could be the key in mitigating violence.

Uttam Rai, a 39-year-old resident of Sundarrhaicha Municipality-7, visited the Purbanchal University Teaching Hospital complaining of pain in his legs. The doctor said there was a problem with his veins and recommended physiotherapy. But even after visiting the hospital for two days, Rai has been unable to meet a physiotherapist, let alone start his treatment.

“No one was there at the department,” Rai says. “As I couldn’t stand the pain, I went to Itahari to get treatment,” he says, adding that the sorry state of the hospital near his home makes him sad. “Patients who pay the minimal mandated OPD fees at times have to go home without treatment,” he says. “In addition, the OPD service is closed before noon.”

Nisha Parajuli of Sundarharaicha-7 took her child to hospital after her child ran a fever for two days. But doctors declined to take the child’s temperature saying that their thermal gun had run out of batteries, even as the battery just costs Rs 15. Following the episode, Parajuli rushed her daughter to Koshi Hospital, Biratnagar, 35km away,

Like Rai and Parajuli, hundreds of people visiting the Purbanchal University Teaching Hospital face numerous problems and are denied treatment as the facility in Goth Gaun reels under the effects of local politics.

“They tell you to take the patient somewhere else, right when you reach the hospital’s doorsteps,” says Madhan GC, a resident of Sundarharaicha. “People here have a hospital in their neighborhood, yet they have to travel long distances for treatment,” he adds. According to him, the doctors only show up at around 11 am and leave half an hour later.

The hospital employs nine specialist doctors, four medical officers, and 19 nurses. Says Arjun Parajuli, a resident of the city, “The hospital is ill-managed. Even the labs are dysfunctional.” He alleges that the lab has been rendered dysfunctional in cahoots with private labs that offer services at higher prices.

When ApEx visited the hospital last week, the OPD was open, but not a single doctor was in sight. There were a few nurses in the emergency ward. As the hospital doesn’t admit patients, all beds were vacant. The lab technician also didn’t show up for three hours.

Around 300 people from Sundarharaicha, Belbari and even Kerabari visit the hospital every day seeking treatment. But it is impossible to meet a doctor at the hospital as they are available only for a few hours, staffers say.

The hospital, which was established in 2009, was supposed to host a medical college. “But the management hasn’t done enough to meet the standards needed for a medical college,” a staffer says.According to the Medical Education Act, a hospital needs to have 100 beds to become eligible to run a teaching hospital.

The university has, however, been mentioning the hospital in its policy and programs and allocating millions of rupees for it. The university also hasn’t taken action against employees who work for private medical facilities to make extra money. 

The hospital administration chief Dhirendra Mallik says the hospital can’t admit patients due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The OPD runs till noon and the emergency services are available only for 13 hours,” says Mallik

Director Dr Bipesh Acharya admits that the hospital is in dire need of reform. “We are holding consultations with stakeholders. It will take time to improve our management,” says Acharya, who was appointed to the post last month.

An eminent group of Nepali personalities has appealed to the government of Nepal as well as to countries around the world to ensure the safety of Afghan citizens and to offer every kind of humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees, including giving them asylum.

The statement:

We, the citizens of Nepal, have been traumatized by the chaotic political situation in Afghanistan. Since the radical Islamic force of Taliban took over Kabul the life and safety of journalists, educators, women, children, human rights workers and individuals who have dedicated the past two decades to propagate liberal values in Afghanistan have been on the line.

In this extremely difficult time for the Afghan people, global leaders and citizens around the world have the responsibility to speak out and find ways to ensure the safety of those in desperate need. The traumatic images of ordinary Afghani people, especially women and children, circulating around the world speak of our collective failure.

Progressive and liberal Afghanis need our moral, economic, political and security support. The world cannot ignore the pleas of help from the women, children and young people of Afghanistan. They have absolutely no hand in terrorism of any kind.

As the Chair of the SAARC, we appeal to the government of Nepal to initiate an emergency regional consultation to address the humanitarian and security issues of Afghan citizens and prospective refugees. If necessary, Nepal must be prepared to give asylum to those fleeing Afghanistan irrespective of their religion and gender. Other countries must also urgently explore ways to help the people of Afghanistan in whatever way they can. Therefore, we urge all regional allies and the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.

Friday, 20 August, 2021, Kathmandu

On behalf of Nepali Citizens:

Jagannath Lamichhane, Sooraj Ray, Prem Sapkota, Shusma Baraili

Shivanath Yadav, Dawa Lhomu Sherpa, Deepjyoti Shrestha, Anne

Dr. Bishal Dhakal, Saugat Wagle, Pradip Pariyar, Keshab Bohara

Aanand Mishra, Srishti Adhikari, Dr Jiwan Kshetri, Nabin Silwal

Basanti Chaudhari, Ganesh Budhathoki, Suman Adhikari, Kailash Neupane

Prabin KC, Basanti Chaudhari, Romas Khatiwada, Aanand Mishra

Biswas Baral, Janaki Ghimire Aryal, Bhola Paswan, Rukmani Maharjan

Thusar Neupane, Shila Timsina, Bhuwan KC, Shehnaz Banu

Members of the Tibetan community in Mustang's Chhairo refugee camp are glad to receive Covid-19 vaccines even as they are denied various economic opportunities.

According to the UNHCR, Nepal is the first country in the Asia-Pacific to vaccinate refugees living in camps on par with Nepali citizens. Similarly, Mustang is the second district in the country, after Manang, to fully vaccinate its entire adult population.

“We are glad that the refugee community here has gotten vaccines even as there were shortages in other parts of the country," says Wangdi Gurung, the camp chieftain. The camp had been sealed off for over a month after an elderly man tested positive for Covid-19 a few months ago. Gurung says the community, which has been living in Mustang for over 50 years, now feels relieved even as there are reports about a more contagious Delta variant circulating in Nepal.

The camp located at Gharapjhong-1, Mustang, was established in 1972. In its early days, a total of 60 households with 300 members used to live there. These days, however, the number of households has gone down to 50 and the population to 224. Camp members sustain themselves on produce from government-provided land. Tourism is also an important contributor to their economy as their produce is not enough to feed them for the whole year.

Despite the successful vaccination drive, the community is reeling under various adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Members of the community used to earn a good amount of money selling souvenirs in the tourist season via outlets in Marpha, Jomsom, Kagbeni and Muktinath. Some also run a community hotel. But with after the pandemic’s onset tourism has witnessed a slump.

“We don’t have a country, we abandoned everything to come here,” said the chieftain. “But we don't feel alone.” These people who belong to a nomadic tribe say they were not involved in any rebellion in Tibet and were not forced out of their homes. They decided to leave of their own volition.

Tibetan refugees in Nepal, including those living in Mustang, have not been issued identity cards. Due to this, they can neither open bank accounts nor go abroad. The educated youngsters of the community are unemployed as they don’t have the documents to apply for jobs.

The situation is unlikely to change anytime soon as the issue remains contentious in Nepal. However, members of the camp are still thankful that they are now vaccinated against a disease that has claimed millions of lives around the world.