Nepal Police recorded 13,716 cases of domestic violence against women in the fiscal year 2018/19. This figure dropped to 10,727 in 2019/20 before rising again to 12,832 in 2020/21. Many women rights organizations, including Women’s Rehabilitation Center Nepal (WOREC), believe the cases of domestic violence were grossly underreported during Covid-19 pandemic. Pratik Ghimire of ApEx talks to Renu Adhikari, chairperson of WOREC.
Why do you think cases of domestic violence increased during the pandemic?
The main reason is that everyone was cooped up in their homes for a long time. In households with a history of domestic violence and abuse, women were not safe. They might have been abused and beaten by their husbands and partners but the reporting mechanism was weak during the lockdown. As a result, cases of violence against women were underreported.
Did the cases decrease after the easing of the lockdown then?
Cases of domestic violence against women never decrease. Certainly, the reported case numbers fluctuate from one month to another, but that does not mean the incidents of domestic abuse and violence are going down. You can see this if you refer to WOREC’s monthly report. What we can deduce though is that cases drop during the festive holidays as the survivors do not report them. It was the same during the lockdown. 
Are our legal laws adequate to come to the help of domestic violence survivors?
They are. If you look at provisions for cases related to domestic violence (excluding sexual violence and others), they are progressive. Besides punishment to the abuser, our laws include the provisions of compensation, a safe house and counseling for the survivors. But what we lack is implementation. Those who are in charge of providing justice are simply unaware about these provisions. The way Nepali society treats its women is not helpful either. Our society further inflicts emotional and mental torture on the survivors. Take the recent case of Niharika Rajput, which again shows the general mindset of Nepali society towards a survivor of violence. Many people still don’t acknowledge the rights and identity of women.
How would you rate the life of survivors who have reached out to your organization?
If the survivors return to their abuser’s house, it is only a matter of time before they are abused and mistreated again. WOREC has come across many cases where survivors have come back to our organization seeking safety, as their decision to return to their abusers didn’t go as expected. But those who started living alone or with relatives are doing well. They are working to sustain their life and living independently.
What problems do those survivors living in shelter homes face?
I can’t tell you about other shelter homes but only our own. Teen pregnancy is a serious concern for us. There are child rape survivors who become pregnant. Their belly do not start showing until the sixth month and by that time they are past the abortion cutoff period. I have been raising this concern with the authorities, to no avail. While adult survivors can live independently after support and counseling, the same is not the case for young girls and teenagers. The authorities should come up with a plan to address this issue.
Hotline numbers
Nepal Government: 1234
Armed Police Force: 1114
Nepal Police: 100, 1113 (for rescue)
Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare: 1618014200082
National Women Commission: 1145
Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal: 16600102005
WOREC: 16600178910
Shakti Samuha: 16600111117
