Violence against women is widely prevalent in Nepal is well known. However, it is only in recent years that there has been an attempt to systematically document various forms of violence against women, from domestic violence and rape to social violence and trafficking. WOREC Nepal, through the ground-breaking publication of Anbeshi Reports since 2005, has taken on the onerous responsibility of systematically
documenting cases, analyzing the data and making recommendations to policy makers.
Tracing the journey of women’s rights being recognized as human rights, this report continues this vital task, focussing on the complex interactions of the multiple forms of violence that women are vulnerable to. The reports identifies that the age group most affected by violence is women between the ages of 16 and 35 years. This finding spotlights the fact that women in their most productive years are subjected to violence
– a situation that has implications not only for the women survivors, but also for the national economy and polity.
As rightly pointed out, oppression in Nepali society based on gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, class, sexual orientation, disability and region, cannot be understood separately. These multiple inequities meld together to forge a complex system of oppression. The report emphasizes the need to understand structurally entrenched violence, including that perpetrated by women. It is only when the systemic context of gender oppression is understood that steps can be taken to eliminate it through specific programs that address the unique needs of each of these groups.