Ninety two percent of sexual assault victims know their perpetrators

The global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, observed annually from November 25 to December 10, is currently underway in Nepal with renewed urgency. Nepal has been marking the 16 Days campaign since 1997, and the government officially declared November 25 as the national day against gender-based violence in 2075 BS. Speaking at a special program organized at Nepal Police Headquarters on Sunday, Inspector General of Police Dan Bahadur Karki expressed deep concern over the rising cases of violence against women and children. Launching the annual fact sheet on gender-based violence for the fiscal year 2081/82, he underscored that the alarming statistics demand serious attention from all sectors.

IGP Karki stressed that addressing gender-based violence requires collective, year-round commitment from all stakeholders, noting that the campaign should not be limited to a symbolic 16-day period. This year’s national slogan, “Let’s use technology correctly: Let’s end gender-based violence,” underscores the importance of digital tools in promoting safety, awareness, and accountability.

Marking the start of this year’s campaign, Nepal Police released new data revealing that an overwhelming 92 percent of sexual assault victims were assaulted by individuals they knew. According to police records for the fiscal year 2081/82, a total of 3,178 cases of sexual violence were registered nationwide, involving 3,212 women and girls. Police arrested 3,511 accused in connection with these incidents, and investigations showed that 3,231 of them—92.02 percent—were known to the victims. Among the accused, 1,878 were acquaintances, 901 were neighbours, 419 were family members, and 33 were teachers, while only 280 were strangers.

The report highlighted that a majority of the victims were minors, with 2,071 girls under the age of 18 facing sexual violence in the past year. Overall violence against women has also increased significantly, rising by 12 percent from 21,040 cases in 080/81 to 23,467 cases in 081/82. Police data from the past five years shows that an average of 57 women face violence every day, totalling 105,796 cases across the period. Femicide remains a grave concern, with Koshi Province recording the highest number of killings—264 women murdered in the past five years—followed by 227 in Madhesh, 202 in Lumbini, 112 in Bagmati (excluding Kathmandu Valley), 108 in Karnali, 84 in Sudurpaschim, 82 in Gandaki, and 72 in the Kathmandu Valley.