Kathmandu. While discussions and voices against rape are being raised in all platforms, from streets to the Parliament, the graph is not decreasing but going just the opposite. The rape and murder case of Nirmala Panta two years ago still remains unsolved and the recent Samjhana Kami incident rattles us to the core.

Analyzing records of the last two months, it is found that rape cases are on the rise compared to last year.  As per the data provided by Nepal Police, from mid July to mid September last year, 330 cases were registered which has increased to 420 this year. 2144 rape cases had been registered last year in total.

Central spokesperson for Nepal Police Kuber Kadayat, told that perpetrators in most rape and sexual assault cases are family members and relatives. There have even been cases where fathers abused their daughters and brothers their sisters.

A survey carried by Nepal Police reveals that some become victimized when they fall prey to temptations. Offers of employment and financial gain, threats and terrors were used in most cases. Misuse of social networking sites and the easy availability of pornographic video materials were also some major causes..

Police investigations show that most of the rape victims are from poor economic and social background. Sick, handicapped, school-going children, elderly and even pregnant women have become the victim of sexual assaults. In rural areas, girls and women have been attacked by sexual predators when they found them alone grazing cattle in the forest.

After lockdown was imposed by the government to curb the corona pandemic, some criminal cases have decreased but some have not. According to Nepal Police Headquarters, there have been at least two rape cases in the country everyday after March 24. The highest number of cases have been registered in Province no. 5 and the Kathmandu valley.