GORKHA, May 27: A recent report of rapes and sexual violence in Gorkha shows that most of the victims in the district are being sexually exploited and abused by their own kith and kin.
"Those who are entrusted with the responsibility of protecting them are found victimizing and exploiting them sexually," said Kamala Naral, police inspector at the Women and Child Service Center of the District Police Office (DPO), Gorkha.
This year, a total of eight cases of rapes were filed at the DPO. In four of these cases, victims were below ten years while two others were below 16. While most of the perpetrators are adults, there are some senior citizens as well and a 14 year old boy involved as well.
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According to Naral, most of the victims are from the Dalit community. Recently, Som Bahadur Kumal, 60 of Gandaki Rural Municipality was arrested on charge of raping a ten year-old girl. Similarly, eighty-five-year-old Mohammad Miyan of Gorkha Municipality has been serving a jail term for raping his sixty-four-year old daughter.
Though the number of rapes has slightly decreased in comparison to last year, most rape cases are incestuous. In another incident, a youth was booked on charge of raping his mother. After his mother changed her statement saying that they had consensual sex, police punished the youth for incest.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bhesraj Rijal informed that ten cases of attempt to rape have been filed so far this year. Binod Pandey, a teacher of Tara Secondary School in Gorkha Municipality-10, Chewetar, has been serving a jail term for attempting to rape one of his students at school. Mostly, girls are raped in school, home, fields and forests while collecting timber and fodder.
Last year, there were 12 cases of rapes and 17 cases of attempted rape. According to police, the number of rapes can be minimized if parents start making their children aware about their physical changes and also start making efforts for their safety and protection.
"The victims of these crimes should not be ill-treated by the society. Local units should make efforts to boost up their confidence, so that victims can muster enough strength to engage themselves in minimizing these crimes," said advocate Dilip Koirala.
