Kathmandu: Data released by Nepal Police during the 16-day campaign against violence against women indicates that 80 percent of gender-based violence (GBV) in the country is attributed to domestic violence. According to the police statistics, 53 percent of domestic violence cases involve physical violence, while 47 percent involve mental violence.

The data further reveals that 89 percent of women and girls subjected to violence are victimized by individuals known to them. Senior Superintendent of Police Dr. Manoj Kumar KC of the Directorate of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens Services expressed concern over the prevalence of violence within known relationships and emphasized the need for active community participation to prevent such incidents.

Among the cases of domestic violence, 67 percent involve conflicts between spouses. In the past year, the police registered 16,519 cases of domestic violence and 4,394 cases of other gender-based violence. Notably, 63 percent of the victims fall within the age group of 11 to 16 years, and 38 percent of the perpetrators are between 10 and 25 years old.

Regarding the methods used in committing violence, 50 percent involved intimidation and threats, 35 percent entailed luring with gifts, and 14 percent involved promises of marriage. Superintendent of Police Ranju Sigdel noted that the data illustrates that 89 percent of the violence is perpetrated by individuals known to the victims, including 12 percent by family members, nearly 23 percent by neighbors, and 0.46 percent by teachers.