Kathmandu, May 14
Rights activists say incidents of sexual crime against women with disabilities are on the rise during lockdowns and prohibitory orders imposed in most districts of Nepal to control the coronavirus spread.
Girls and women living with different forms of disability have been targeted by the criminals as they cannot run away and report the cases during the lockdowns/prohibitory orders, according to them.
Teeka Dahal, the chairperson of the Nepal Disabled Women Association, says 26 women with disabilities survived sexual violence including rape since the lockdown was first introduced in March 2020 across the country.
Krishnapyari Nakarmi, another activist, says it has been difficult for the survivors to file complaints also because police and other administrative bodies are not disabled-friendly.
Moreover, women living with down syndrome, those who cannot speak properly and cannot answer questions properly have failed to access justice, according to her.
