Karnali: Incidents of women’s rights violations are on the rise in Karnali Province, with 1,572 cases reported over the last five years, according to data presented by the Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC). The figures were released during an interaction program on "Role of stakeholders in reducing incidents of women's rights violations" held in Birendranagar, Surkhet.

Presenting the data, Narayan Subedi, Head of INSEC Karnali Province Office, stated that 2,666 incidents of human rights violations and abuses were documented from January 2020 to July 2025. Of these, 1,572 cases involved violations of women's rights — including 86 femicides, 19 cases of trafficking, and 989 incidents classified as other human rights violations.

While the numbers indicate a yearly fluctuation, a gradual rise in recent years is evident:

-2020: 217 out of 422 incidents

-2021: 199 out of 379

-2022: 212 out of 394

-2023: 273 out of 467

-2024: 415 out of 624

-2025 (till July): 256 out of 380

Subedi also pointed out that the prison infrastructure in Karnali is under severe stress — 1,099 inmates are being held in facilities with a capacity for only 650, leading to overcrowding and worsening detention conditions.

Kalyani Khadka, Chairperson of the Provincial Affairs Committee in the Karnali Provincial Assembly, emphasized that the nature of violence has evolved, with women bearing the brunt of increasing brutality. She cited recent spousal murders in Rukum Paschim, Surkhet, and Chingad as glaring examples. “The problem lies not in the absence of laws but in the failure of effective implementation,” she said, warning that societal safety is deteriorating due to weak enforcement.

Krishna Bahadur Hamal, Chief Attorney of the Karnali Province Government, attributed the surge in rights violations to social media misuse, moral decline, family breakdowns, poverty, and illiteracy. He called for more effective legislation, legal education, and outreach to empower citizens to understand and defend their rights.

According to INSEC, contributing factors to rising violence include alcohol abuse, drug dependency, impunity, crumbling social values, and lack of family cohesion. The organization stressed the need for active toll-free committees, improved legal awareness, stronger support for victims, and a campaign-based approach to safeguard human rights.

INSEC’s Nepal Human Rights Yearbook 2025 paints an even more worrying national picture — 10,734 human rights violations have been recorded across the country, 9,668 of them involving women. Domestic violence alone accounts for 5,876 cases of women’s rights violations.

Participants in the interaction — including police officers, legal practitioners, human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society organizations — concluded that a coordinated and proactive role from state institutions and citizens alike is essential to reduce crimes such as violence, rape, murder, intimidation, and cybercrime in society.