Read this story in Nepali: घरेलु हिंसाबाट प्रताडित कर्णालीका महिला

Forty-two-year-old Muna (name changed) from the western region of Surkhet was married in Birendranagar in 2059 BS. While staying at her sister's house to study, her husband's family proposed to her when she was 20 years old.

The family she got married into in Birendranagar expected a dowry. Coming from a place where dowry was neither given nor taken, she only realized the expectation when her husband and parents-in-law began to reproach her.

"Three months after I entered the house as a bride, they started criticizing me for not bringing any dowry. That's when I started experiencing physical and mental violence," she said. "Even though I was repeatedly beaten, being told I only brought broken utensils from my parents' house, I endured it."

The violence that began then continues to be endured by Muna to this day. Due to the domestic violence, her hand has been fractured. The physical abuse has led to a prolapsed uterus. She has repeatedly gone to the police and the courts, but she has not received the justice she seeks.

According to data from governmental and non-governmental organizations working in the field of human rights, women in Karnali Province are the most affected by domestic violence. Unable to bear the torment inflicted by the perpetrators, many women subjected to violence have been forced to leave their homes.

According to the Karnali Province Police Office, 2,621 complaints of domestic violence were registered with the police in the three fiscal years from 2078/079 to 2080/081 BS (2021/2022 to 2023/2024 AD).

According to the Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), in 2024 alone, there were more than 600 incidents of human rights violations across the province. Among these, 312 were cases of domestic violence. The nature of domestic violence includes beatings, extreme torture, sexual violence, eviction from home and mental stress. Muna says she has experienced all of these.

The violence she endured within her family has left her with wounds that will never heal. In 2060 BS (2003-2004 AD), she had given birth just a month and a half prior. Her family ordered her to fetch water. Because she had her daughter in her arms, she couldn't bring the water at the exact moment they demanded.

Using this as an excuse, her family gathered at 11:30 pm and verbally abused her, forcing her to do squats. She was made to do 100 squats. As a recent mother, she fainted while doing the squats.

"They told me to do 100 squats, I don't remember how many I managed," she recalls even now, "I must have fainted in a pool of blood midway. That's when my uterus prolapsed. It hasn't healed even now."

Following this incident, her family did not provide proper medical treatment. She received treatment using traditional home remedies while staying at her parents' house. She said that some organizations provided a little financial assistance for her medical treatment after learning about the incident.

Even after that, she continued to experience constant violence from her family. She recounts instances where her family refused to provide treatment when her daughter was sick, and she had to sell her jewelry to pay for her daughter's treatment in India.

When her husband, who had a job, stopped sending money for household expenses, and other family members at home also refused to provide food expenses, Muna started a small business. From that, she managed the expenses for herself and her two children.

While running the shop, she alleges that her father-in-law attempted to rape her in 2062 BS. When Muna told her husband about it, he pressured her to resolve the matter within the family.

After that incident, she says her father-in-law increased the violence against her, claiming she "didn't listen to him." "I hid the injustice my father-in-law committed against me from society, and he tried to blame me instead," Muna said. "Once, when my father-in-law tried to force himself on me, I felt it was difficult to stay in the house, so I rented a room elsewhere."

In 2069 BS, Muna's second child, a son, was born. She lived in a rented room outside the house for a year after her son's birth. During that time, after agreeing not to commit violence and to live in the house, she returned. But the violence did not stop.

After enduring unbearable continuous violence from her family, Muna began going to judicial bodies in 2073 BS. Initially, she went with an organization working in the field of women and children and filed a complaint against her father-in-law. That case did not reach completion. Her father-in-law and husband called Muna to a relative's house and made her agree to divide the property and live separately from the family. At that time, they also promised not to commit violence again. Muna withdrew the case. However, the violence did not stop. Other agreements were also not implemented in practice.

In 2075 BS, she was injured by her husband's beating. She went to the District Police Office, Surkhet, with a complaint about that incident. At that time, too, a settlement was made in the presence of relatives.

After realizing that complaints were being settled through agreements but the agreements were not being followed, and violence was occurring regularly, Muna sought help from local leaders and ward representatives.

The then-ward chairperson sent her to meet with a lawyer. After meeting with the lawyer, Muna filed a complaint in the District Court in 2077 BS, demanding her share of the property. After her husband's parents found out that she had filed a case against them, her husband began to beat her even more.

"I had to endure daily beatings; I probably couldn't even keep track of how many times I was tortured," she said. "There are probably very few like me who have experienced so much violence from their family."

In Chaitra 2079 BS (April 2023 AD), the District Court ruled that her husband should provide 15,000 rupees per month for food expenses, they should live separately in their own ways, and the existing property should be divided equally among all family members. The court's decision also imposed a fine of 30,000 rupees each on the family members who had committed violence against Muna and 50,000 rupees on her husband.

Following this decision by the District Court, Muna's father-in-law filed an appeal in the High Court. Muna maintained her claim in the High Court. At that time, her daughter was preparing to go abroad. Her family coerced her into reconciliation by promising to provide the expenses for her daughter's trip abroad.

"The family came and said, 'Let's reconcile, we'll sell land and give the money for our daughter to go abroad to study,'" she said. "I had said I wouldn't reconcile, but my daughter said we should, thinking she would be able to go abroad. We reconciled in the court itself and left."

Their latest reconciliation took place in Baisakh 2081 BS (April 2024 AD). However, even after the reconciliation, the family continued to behave as before.

"Now, they haven't given my daughter money to go abroad, nor have they discussed the division of property. The paperwork states that I also have a right to the house we live in," she said. "Now, even if I say let's sell that house and send her, my husband and parents-in-law are together and won't allow it to be sold. If I hadn't reconciled in the High Court, I would have received my share according to the District Court's decision. I would have sold it and sent my daughter where she wanted to go."

She says she is still repeatedly beaten. In Asoj 2081 BS (September 2024 AD), she again filed a domestic violence case in the District Court through a paid lawyer. The family has filed a counter-response, demanding a divorce.

"I am not seeking a divorce; rather, I want a judicial decision that ensures the upbringing of my children," Muna says. "At this age, where would I go after a divorce? I would rather live separately. But my desire is that my husband's income and the family's property be equally shared for the sake of my children, and that I be freed from domestic violence."

We contacted Muna's family. However, we were informed that no one in the family would provide any comment on this matter.

Like Muna, Padmakanya Chaulagain of Mugu and Radhika (name changed) of Dailekh are also victims of domestic violence. They are living separately from their families because of the violence. Padmakanya's age, according to her citizenship, is 36 years. However, she says her actual age is only 29 years. Padmakanya, from Khatyad Rural Municipality-6 in Mugu, was married off by her family to another village at the age of 12.

After marriage, her husband worked as a laborer in India. He was coming and going home from time to time. Padmakanya has two sons. She was repeatedly subjected to violence from her family.

Even after having endured so much of violence, her husband married another woman from the same village. "I tolerated it, thinking that disagreements at home are normal, I didn't pay attention to the verbal abuse from my husband and parents-in-law," she said. "After he married a second wife and left me, I was also driven out of the house. When my husband made it impossible for me to stay at my parents' house, I was forced to leave the village altogether."

After her husband left her, and her parents-in-law did not allow her to stay in the house, Padmakanya moved from Mugu to Birendranagar in Surkhet. She left her home on Shrawan 29, 2080 (August 14, 2023).

In Surkhet, she was staying at a relative's house. After her husband threatened the relatives by phone, she now lives in a rented room. She sells vegetables from a basket, going from house to house. She manages her expenses from that income.

Now, she is in a legal battle against her husband and family. On Poush 28, 2081 (January 12, 2025), she filed a complaint of polygamy against her husband and his second wife at the District Police Office, Surkhet. The police arrested her husband and his second wife from Nepalgunj on the same day the complaint was registered and started an investigation.

Padmakanya is preparing to file a case in court for divorce, including a claim for her share of the property and maintenance expenses. "My desire is to have my husband, who has committed injustice, punished according to the law. Even though I didn't get an education, I have to do something for my sons' future," she said. "Even though my husband has caused me so much pain, I have endured it by looking at these sons' faces."

Radhika (name changed) of Naumule Rural Municipality in Dailekh had an inter-caste marriage of her own choice. Radhika, from the Chhetri community, married a young man from the Dalit community at a young age. She, who had a love marriage with the boy she chose against her family's wishes, says she had to endure 13 years of continuous violence from her husband. Due to the violence from her husband, she is now living separately with her two sons after preparing court documents for divorce.

"My age was not mature enough to think about the future. When the community gradually began to know about our love, they made a big issue out of our playfulness, and we decided to get married," said Radhika, who had a love marriage in 2067 BS. "Because it was an inter-caste relationship, there was no way for our family and society to accept us. We stayed at my husband's sister's house for some time. Later, we moved to Surkhet."

Radhika said that she started experiencing violence, including physical abuse, after she tried to reason with her husband when she found out he was getting close to another woman shortly after their marriage.

"Disagreements started between us a few days after our marriage, and they gradually increased. I endured it, thinking that I had already broken ties with my family," she said. "Even after coming to Surkhet, the violence from my husband didn't decrease, it increased."

Radhika was beaten by her husband daily. Three years ago, her husband left Radhika and started living separately. It turned out that he had already established a marital relationship with another woman at that time. After finding out, Radhika filed a complaint with the police. The police facilitated a reconciliation and sent them back. As soon as they returned from the police, her husband again separated from Radhika.

"Even though we were separated, he would come to where I was staying in the middle of the night and beat me, saying, 'Give me a divorce.' Sometimes, he would come with other people and threaten me," she said. "Even after being beaten to the point of near-death repeatedly, I tried to reconcile and move forward. Later, after he brought others and threatened, 'If you don't give me a divorce, I will kill your family and you,' I was forced to go to court and request a divorce."

Radhika filed a case in court on Asoj 10, 2081 (September 26, 2024), seeking a divorce. The very next day after she filed the petition, the court ruled that they would live separately for now, with a divorce to follow later.

When the court made the ruling, it was stated that her husband would provide five thousand rupees each (ten thousand rupees per month) for the expenses of their two sons. She says she has not received any expenses according to that ruling so far.

"I have no employment at the moment, and the expenses he was supposed to provide don't come. It has become difficult to feed and educate my sons," she said. "I have gone to the police and the court three times with the court papers, saying I haven't received the expenses, but the response is that he has nothing that can be seized."

What is the nature of domestic violence in Karnali?

The nature of domestic violence reaching various governmental and non-governmental bodies in Karnali Province is not uniform. Among the recent domestic violence cases filed, physical assault, sexual violence, and mental torture are most prevalent.

Advocate Geeta Koirala says that most incidents of domestic violence occur due to alcohol consumption. Some incidents occur after alcohol consumption, while others occur after consuming alcohol with the intent to commit violence, she states. She says that most women (wives) and their children are victimized by this type of violence.

"Cases come where people, intoxicated by alcohol, go and assault their wives or other family members. However, cases also come where men with extramarital affairs consume alcohol with the intent to 'get rid of the wife at home' and then commit violence," she said. "Even when men don't have extramarital affairs, cases of them committing violence against their families after consuming alcohol come up."

Advocate Koirala says that women still experience extreme torture due to domestic violence.

According to her, apart from the husband, other family members also commit violence against daughters-in-law. Women whose parental homes have weak economic conditions and who are limited to household work are subjected to violence by other family members after marriage, she said. She states that in such cases, the parents-in-law support their sons and commit one-sided violence.

She said that in recent domestic violence incidents, eviction from the home at the outset is less common. "It's not that there are no evictions due to domestic violence, but initial evictions are rare," Advocate Koirala says. "However, there are many cases where people are forced to leave home after being tortured."

According to her, in recent times, men have also become victims of domestic violence. However, she said that the number of male victims is negligible compared to the number of female victims.

According to Pabitra Shahi, executive director of Aawaj Sanstha, which works in the field of women and children, it appears that any member of the family can become a victim of domestic violence. "Previously, women, especially wives, would come saying they were victims. Now, other family members also come saying they are victims," she said. "Mothers-in-law come saying they have been subjected to domestic violence by their daughters-in-law, and parents also come saying their children have neglected them."

According to her, among women who are victims of domestic violence, most reach the authorities with problems such as their husbands not making their citizenship cards, not registering their marriages, not making their children's birth certificates, and so on.

She understands that husbands working in foreign employment commit domestic violence against their wives through the use of social media. "There are also cases where husbands abroad create fake Facebook accounts in their wives' names, talk to other men, and then use that as evidence to seek a divorce," human rights activist Shahi said. "This shows violence not only against women but also against children. There is an equal problem of children being at risk in such incidents."

In her understanding, incidents of physical assault under domestic violence have slightly decreased in recent times. "It's not that this doesn't happen at all now, but it has decreased somewhat compared to the past. Now, more incidents of mental distress due to domestic violence are coming forward," Shahi said. How to reduce it?

Advocate Koirala says that full implementation of relevant laws and regular awareness about the family disadvantages of violence will significantly help reduce domestic violence.

"Domestic violence is happening even though the law says it is a punishable offense. To reduce it, the law enforcement aspect must be strengthened. Besides that, the most emphasis should be placed on awareness," Koirala said.

According to her, once a domestic violence case is filed, the previously occurring violence significantly decreases until it is resolved. She said that victims feel a sense of liberation during this time. She believes that the fear of the law reduces violence from perpetrators during this period.

"Various types of domestic violence cause rifts in relationships. This not only ends the relationship between husband and wife," human rights activist Shahi says, "but it also has the biggest impact on the children born from them. If families can understand this, domestic violence can be greatly reduced."

Human rights activist Shahi believes that not enough effort has been made to reduce domestic violence in Karnali. She says that the implementation of specific laws made by the government for the prevention or reduction of violence has been weak.

She states that local levels, which are said to be the closest governments, have not implemented legal provisions such as establishing funds and forming committees in each local level for violence prevention.

"Most local governments have not paid attention to violence prevention. It seems that the closest governments have focused on building physical infrastructure and have not paid much attention to social work," Shahi says. "The perception that domestic violence is only a women's issue and that only women should speak about it needs to be ended."

She says that local levels have not been able to provide proper assistance even when victims come seeking justice.

She said that local levels should run awareness programs at the neighborhood level to reduce domestic and gender-based violence caused by a lack of awareness. Shahi says that local governments should prioritize such issues first.

Human rights activist Shahi said that members in each ward should be assigned responsibilities for social work such as domestic violence prevention, and separate resource persons should be appointed at local levels to engage in violence reduction roles.

Domestic Violence Statistics in Karnali

According to the data from the Karnali Province Police Office, a total of 2,621 domestic violence complaints were filed in the previous three fiscal years. According to Police Deputy Superintendent Narayan Dangi, the information officer of the office, 2085 of these domestic violence complaints were resolved through settlements. He said that only 510 complaints were sent to the relevant bodies (courts).

He informed that across Karnali Province, 883 domestic violence complaints were received by the police in the fiscal year 2078/079 (2021/2022 AD), 858 complaints in 2079/080 (2022/2023 AD), and 880 complaints in 2080/081 (2023/2024 AD).

In the Surkhet District Court, 31 domestic violence cases were filed from July to January 29th of the current fiscal year. Ujjwal Rawal, the court's information officer, informed that seven of them have been decided and concluded.

According to the Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), in 2024, there were more than 600 incidents of human rights violations in Karnali Province. Women are the most affected, followed by children. Most of the human rights violations against women are related to domestic violence.

Of the total human rights violation incidents collected by INSEC in 2024, 312 were domestic violence cases.

Despite the occurrence of various types of domestic violence, the practice of filing complaints with the nearest judicial committee seems to be low in Karnali. Data from the Birendranagar Municipality's Judicial Committee Secretariat shows that domestic violence victims directly go to the police or the courts.

In the fiscal year 2078/79 (2021/2022 AD), 36 complaints were registered with the municipality's judicial committee. Among them, only two complaints were related to domestic violence (specifically, for non-maintenance). In the fiscal year 2079/80 (2022/2023 AD), 42 complaints were filed with the Birendranagar Judicial Committee.

While continuous domestic violence is occurring, the Karnali Province government has not yet been able to formulate the necessary laws. The Ministry of Social Development had drafted the "Bill to Manage the Control of Domestic Violence in Karnali Province, 2075 BS" (2018-2019 AD). If that bill had gone through the process and been certified, the "Domestic Violence Control Act, 2075" would have been prepared.

However, that bill did not go through the process. The bill, which was registered in the Provincial Assembly Secretariat in 2076 BS (2019-2020 AD), was later withdrawn.

Human rights activist Shahi says that the process of adjudicating justice for domestic violence victims in Karnali Province is not that weak. Although local levels have not taken it seriously, she said that significant efforts have been made by government or non-governmental bodies related to this to provide justice to the victims who reach those bodies.

She said that government and non-governmental bodies working within the methods prescribed by the government have worked towards adjudication.

"When domestic disputes come as cases, initially, reconciliation must be done. Active agencies in this area have monitored them for a certain period even after reconciliation," she said. "Although there are judicial committees at the local level, domestic violence victims do not want to go there. Due to the fear of being victimized again, as the process is lengthy in the committee, they directly go to the police, organizations, or courts. These agencies where victims go are found to play a good role in resolution."

It does not appear that domestic violence victims receive direct assistance from government agencies. According to the provincial Ministry of Social Development, which works in the field of women and children, financial facilitation is provided by the ministry to the relevant service centers in the districts.

Financial assistance is provided through the district social development office to women and children service centers operated by various organizations in the districts in collaboration with the ministry.

"We don't send financial assistance by specifying a direct amount. The district social development offices have budgets under relevant headings, which are distributed to the service centers based on need or limitations," said Sunita KC, head of the ministry's social security and women's development branch.

She said that domestic violence victims do not directly come to the ministry or branch with complaints. According to Women Development Officer KC, after going through the justice process through relevant governmental or non-governmental bodies, they come to the branch for advice. She said that victims who come in this way are given advice about solutions or the justice process.

The law has provisions for each local level to establish and operate a "Local Gender-Based Violence Elimination Fund" for violence victims. However, there is no definitive information on how many local levels in Karnali have established this fund and what the state of its operation is.

The Social Security and Women's Development Branch under the Provincial Ministry of Social Development has started requesting information about gender-based violence funds from local levels this year.

"Some municipalities have created gender-based violence elimination funds, but not all have," said Women Development Officer KC. "We hadn't requested details of this until now. We have started requesting details only this year, and the information is still coming in."

In this, too, only two complaints related to domestic violence were filed, both for "non-maintenance." In the fiscal year 2080/81 ( 2023/2024 AD), a total of 23 complaints were filed, but none of them were related to domestic violence.

(This investigative report was prepared through the NIMJN fellowship supported by the Australian Aid. All rights reserved with the author and publisher.)

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