‘Rape won’t spark #MeToo in Nepal’

– The rape and murder of a teenager provoked unprecedented protests in conservative Nepal, but activists say a #MeToo reckoning like that unfolding in neighbouring India remains a distant prospect.

Thousands poured onto the streets after 13-year-old Nirmala Pant’s body was discovered in July, angered by allegations the police were protecting the perpetrators.

Two hashtags, #RageAgainst Rape and #JusticeForNirmala, have become the rallying cries for protesters fed up with Nepal’s woeful record of prosecuting cases of violence against women.

But #MeToo has been largely absent from the ongoing debate. Those fighting for change say women still struggle to speak out against their abusers in Nepal.

“I would love a society where you can say #MeToo,” said women’s rights activist Hima Bista.

In recent weeks, the #MeToo movement in neighbouring India has gathered pace, a year after the hashtag first went viral.

The public allegations by Bollywood star Tanushree Dutta against a fellow actor emboldened a wave of women in India to tell their own stories.

A government minister, MJ Akbar, resigned this month after at least 20 women accused him of sexual harassment. A prominent Bollywood director was also sacked over similar allegations.

The shock waves have not gone unnoticed in Nepal, which shares strong cultural and religious ties with its influential neighbour, as well as a 1 850km open border.

“You see a slight breeze come through,” Bista said of the ripple effect from India.

In the past two weeks, a handful of women have gone public with #MeToo stories in Nepal, including two accusing the former mayor of Kathmandu, Keshav Sthapit, of abusing his power.

“Nepal also has serial predators who have been misusing their powers and positions,” wrote Rashmila Prajapati, who says she lost her job in Sthapit’s office 15 years ago after she rejected his sexual advances. “It is high time to reveal them.” Sthapit has denied the allegations, describing them as “a rape of men’s rights” in an recent interview with the Kathmandu Post newspaper.

But for most women in Nepal, particularly those in conservative rural communities, speaking out is not an option, says Mohna Ansari of the National Human Rights Commission.

She is supporting two rape victims who brought their cases to court – a rare achievement in itself.

But the women have been driven from their communities by gossip, a by-product of speaking out about sexual violence.

“They are now both hiding in a shelter. The stigma and victim-blaming is still too strong in our society,” said Ansari. –