Sexually victimized women at the hand of Army personnel crying for justice

Chitwan / May 9: Those women who were lured or forced into sexual relations with serving or former Army personnel are crying for justice.

Women would enter the Chitwan National Park (CNP) to collect fodder and firewood where they would be forced to have sexual intercourse with Army personnel stationed there.

As a result, they have given birth to their babies out of wedlock. Now they are unable to identify fathers of their children or they are disowned by their sexual partners under various pretexts.

Twenty seven victims have been provided justice so far out of the total 116 women, who have been sexually exploited at the hands of the Army personnel, said Chhabi Lal Neupane, Central Chairperson of the Federation of Buffer Zone People Rights Nepal. The 27 sexually victimised women have 34 children from their relations with the Army personnel.

Still 89 sexually victimised women and their 140 children who were born out of wedlock are yet to be given justice, he said.

The total 57 had filed in the Nepal Army Central Division, Hetauda for justice through the Federation.

Those who were delivered justice are enjoying medical treatment facility for themselves and their children, and have got education and citizenship certificates for their children.

The sexually victimised women dominate indigenous nationalities and Dalit (86 from indigenous nationalities, 14 from Dalit community, and the rest 16 from other communities). In some cases, women entering the CNP to collect fodder were forced into sexual intercourse with the stationed Army personnel, said a victim.

“The Army personnel would, in some cases, stay with us for three months or a year, have sexual relations and would disappear all of a sudden. As a result, we and our children born out of wedlock are left high and dry,” said the victims who are from Bharatpur Metropolitan City-22 to 28, and Madi Municipality surrounding the CNP.

According to Neupane, a woman of Meghauli has, in an instance, six children from sexual relations with four Army personnel, while another woman has seven children from sexual intercourse with three Army personnel. The children born out of wedlock are aged 9 to 23, but identify of their fathers are yet to be known.

Of the sexually victimised women, 21 have gone for foreign employment, while others are surviving on daily wages or depending on relatives for sustenance.

“I had sexual relation with Army personnel while going to the CNP to collect fodder. As a result, I gave birth to a child. However, he (her sexual partner) was transferred elsewhere leaving us behind. But I got justice later,” said a sexually victimized women of Jagatpur.

A woman of Madi Bagaee has two children from sexual relation with Army personnel stationed in the CNP. “He lured me to have sexual relations with him with a promise of marriage. But later he was transferred elsewhere leaving me and my child high and dry,” she said. Now she has got justice, and has got birth and citizenship certificates for her child.

In 2068 B.S., the Nepal Army had initiated in this regard by forming a committee to probe the cases under the leadership of a colonial. But the victims are still awaiting justice. The Army was stationed in the CNP since 2034 B.S. RSS