Twisted justice

Community-level consensus on crimes as heinous as rape and sexual assault is unacceptable.

In many Nepali communities, rape and sexual assault are often treated as minor offences and dealt with locally, with the accused individuals being welcomed back with alacrity. Just last week, a 30-year-old man from Pokhara, ward 29, sneaked into a minor girl’s room through a window. He tried to assault her, but fled after she resisted. Cases as serious as sexual assault should involve the police and legal action against the accused. These are non-negotiable. Yet the following day, the ward’s local settlement committee decided the case on its own, asking the accused to bow at the victim’s feet and do squats in apology—as if it was enough for such a heinous crime.