Justice for all: Addressing sexual violence faced by marginalised communities in Nepal

Photo credit: WHR, Nepal

By SAMAJ, WHR, FEDO Nepal, FWLD, and Equality Now

Kathmandu, Nepal, August 1, 2025: Sexual violence remains a pervasive problem across Nepal. While women and girls in all communities are impacted, those who face caste, ethnic, disability-related, and socio-political marginalisation experience especially high levels of sexual violence, discrimination, and barriers preventing them from accessing justice and support when they have been harmed. 

Recognising the vital need for intersectional dialogue, Equality Now and SAMAJ (South Asian Movement for Accessing Justice) joined WHR (Women for Human Rights), FEDO Nepal (Feminist Dalit Organization), and FWLD (Forum for Women, Law and Development)  in hosting a national consultation this week in Kathmandu. 

Convening over 30 participants, including representatives from marginalised communities, leaders from women’s rights organisations, policymakers, and the media, the gathering shone a much-needed spotlight on the specific challenges experienced by sexual violence survivors. Crucially, the group co-created inclusive solutions and voiced a shared call for urgent, transformative action.

Caste, ethnicity, and disability intersect with sexual violence

While recent legal reforms – such as the extension of the statute of limitations for reporting rape –  mark incremental progress, the day-to-day reality for rape survivors in Nepal is still shaped by stigma, impunity, and systemic discrimination. Justice remains elusive for many, particularly women and girls from Dalit, Indigenous, Madhesi, Muslim, and disabled communities.

Despite multiple public protests demanding action to address gender-based violence, police data reveals a rise in sexual violence cases, with 2,507 reported incidents between 2023 and 2024, up from 2,380 in the period between 2021 and 2022. 

Indigenous people comprise 36% of Nepal’s population, and Indigenous women often encounter significant obstacles when trying to file cases and navigate the criminal justice system. Similarly, women and girls living with disabilities who experience sexual and gender-based violence face substantial challenges in accessing justice. For Dalit women and girls, the multilayered discrimination they experience means that rape and kidnapping are among the most frequently reported crimes affecting their community.  

Weak implementation of sexual violence laws

The consultation centred the voices of those from marginalised communities, acknowledging the rising incidences of sexual violence. Nepal’s penal code includes several provisions criminalising rape and sexual violence, and attendees at the convening shared valuable insights on how the implementation of these laws remains weak. 

Victims/survivors spoke about not receiving adequate protection, leaving them vulnerable to further harm. Another concern raised was breaches of confidentiality regarding complaints, resulting in further stigma and revictimisation. 

Various issues impacting women and girls with disabilities were cited. Insufficient awareness among officials about the range and nature of disabilities often results in complaints being disregarded. A lack of suitable accommodation is also a problem. 

Communication barriers are common. Officials may not have sign language skills, and sign language interpreters are often unavailable. Family members, who might be the only people able to communicate effectively with a survivor, are sometimes excluded from the process.

A representative from the women with disabilities community explained, “We encounter obstacles at every stage – no accessible ramps, no sign language support, and a lack of trust in our voices. Having a disability should never mean being unseen or unheard in the pursuit of justice.” 

End the culture of silence: Survivor voices

Discussions highlighted a pervasive culture of silence around sexual violence, beginning with the family and extending to the community, who commonly view such incidents as a breach of family honour. Victim blaming remains common, even among duty bearers such as police and legal authorities. 

Another challenge is the lack of awareness about legal processes among survivors and their communities, an especially prevalent problem amongst those from marginalised backgrounds. 

Upasana Rana, Executive Director, WHR Nepal, called for urgent action, stating, “This moment demands transformation, not just reflection. Marginalised communities have voiced the barriers they face and offered clear recommendations. 

“Now, Nepal’s institutions must respond by strengthening legal aid, raising public awareness, collecting disaggregated data, and ensuring the meaningful participation of excluded communities in shaping policies. Proper guidelines must also be in place for preserving evidence and handling cases effectively.”

Voices that demand accountability

Participants attending the convening called for holistic, survivor-centric approaches at every stage of response and recovery. This includes long-term mental health care and community reintegration and rehabilitation of survivors – areas currently neglected in both policy and practice.

There were demands for greater collaboration among organisations focusing on disability rights and working with single women, ethnic minorities, and other marginalised groups. Attendees also spoke of the need to foster inclusive support systems and meaningful participation of marginalised communities in all policy processes.

Additionally, they highlighted the importance of collecting disaggregated data, broken down by factors such as sex, disability, caste, and ethnicity. This is crucial to building a better understanding of victim/survivors’ diverse experiences and identifying patterns of marginalisation and exclusion, which can then inform the development of more inclusive, evidence-based policies. 

Strengthening monitoring mechanisms, improved coordination amongst government stakeholders, and greater government accountability were also cited as key.

Participants urged reforms such as:

• Increased representation of women in the police force;
• Disability-inclusive infrastructure in police stations and courts;
• Training of duty bearers that includes rights-based, inclusive modules as part of their induction and ongoing professional development.

A clear call emerged – survivors must be treated with dignity, not suspicion, and excluded groups must be included, not only in service provision but also in shaping the systems that claim to serve them.

Julie Thekkudan, Equality Now’s South Asia Consultant, concluded, “Progress must be reflected in the lived experiences of sexual violence survivors. Access to support and justice must not depend on who you are or where you’re from – it must be for all. 

“Until Nepal addresses the intersecting inequalities of caste, ethnicity, disability, and gender discrimination, justice will remain out of reach for many. Institutional reform has to be rooted in the voices of those most impacted.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

For media enquiries, please contact: Aakansha Saxena, Regional Communications Officer, South Asia, Equality Now. E:  asaxena@equalitynow.org and
Shiwangi Rana, Communications Officer, Women for Human Rights, Nepal. E: communication@whr.org

About: The South Asian Movement for Accessing Justice (SAMAJ) is a regional coalition of over 20 individuals and organisations from Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, united in their mission to end sexual violence and strengthen access to justice for survivors in the region. Formed in 2024 with Equality Now as its secretariat, SAMAJ – United to End Sexual Violence – aims to respond to legal and systemic barriers to justice in South Asia by fostering collective, cross-border action to drive meaningful legal and policy change.

Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO Nepal), Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD), and Women for Human Rights (WHR) are members of SAMAJ and leading feminist and legal rights organisations in Nepal, advocating for social change and justice alongside marginalised communities.

For more details, please go to www.equalitynow.org/samaj, whr.org.np/website/
LinkedIn Equality Now Asia.