Rolpali women seeking justice (Feature)

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Kabita Upadhyay / Rolpa, Dec 3: As the country marks the 16-day nation-wide campaign to end gender-based violence, women in Rolpa district are still struggling to come out of gender-based violence.

The Women and Children Office, Rolpa, has been marking the 16-day activism to end gender-based violence by organizing various programmes on the occasion of 26th International Day against Gender-based Violence while the victim women have been visiting the body concerned for justice.

Jaikala Dangi, 21, of Iribang in the district, who did love marriage around two years ago, has been visiting police office for justice. Police person Rita Chaudhary said that Dangi has been visiting the police office with the support of her father after her husband and family members threatened to kill her.

Similarly, Shanti Budha, 33, of Kureli-4 has filed complaint against her husband at the police office after he married another woman and stared ignoring her.

Victim Budha said that she was compelled to visit the police office as her husband took all her documents including citizenship certificate under his control. The Area Police Office, Rolpa, has been carrying out investigation after filing case of polygamy against her husband.

Likewise, Parbati Budhathoki, 20, of Badachour-8 visited the police office on October 24, 2016 seeking justice, saying her in-laws expelled her from the house at a time when her husband was on overseas employment. Police carried out investigation as well as called the husband and in-laws to be present at the office and asked them to apologise to Budhathoki.

Rita Khati, 23, of Sakhi-3, who did love marriage, has been living at her parent’s house. She blamed that her husband used to thrash her and the family members ignored her. She has now been regretting for marrying him at an early age after she fell in love with him while talking on the phone.

Rita said, “I will stay at my parent’s house even having one square meal, but will never go to my husband’s house.”

These are only some representative victims of gender-based violence in the district. Women and Children Service Centre under the District Police Office, Rolpa, has received total 52 cases of violence against women in the current fiscal year, 2016/17. Of them, 28 are related to domestic violence and the remaining 24 are related to social violence.

Police person Minu Ale said that 156 cases against women violence were registered in the last fiscal year. She said mostly women from 20-40 years visit the police office for justice.

Similarly, 15 cases of violence against women have been registered at the Women and Children Office, Rolpa, in the current fiscal year. Women Development Officer, Lokendra Acharya, said that most of the women, who have filed cases, have wanted divorce.

All of the victim women have filed cases with complaint that they have faced both physical and mental torture from their husbands and family members.

Acharya said that girls of 17 years to women of their 50’s have been victims of violence. Negative impact has been seen on children of those parents who are separated.

She said most of the cases of violence against women have taken place due to consumption of alcohol in the district. Women have been victim of domestic violence as most of the women are not self-reliant as they do marriage in their early age and become mother of two children within their 20’s.

Acharya said that the office has been organizing different types of awareness programme to end gender-base violence.

A monitoring group has been formed and women cooperatives as well as regular meetings of the District Coordination Committee have been taking place to end gender-based violence.

Programme Officer of the UNFPA, Rolpa, Raju Joshi said that different types of awareness programme have been launched in the district to eliminate gender-based violence. An arrangement of ‘safe house’ has been made for women victim of violence in the district with the collaboration of Women and Children Office. A total of 50 victim women have received the service from the ‘safe house’ so far from the last fiscal year.

Likewise, Social Development Officer at the District Development Committee, Rolpa, Ratna Jyoti Hamal, said that women should be aware themselves to end gender-based violence.

Hamal also stressed the need of implementation of the laws strictly. She said DDC, Rolpa, has been launching capacity and skill development programmes and income generation programme to make women self-dependent.

She further said that the DDC, Rolpa, has also been providing budget to ‘safe house’ every year.

Women rights activist Saraswoti Acharya said that even the wives of right activists are also found victim of gender-based violence directly or indirectly. RSS