SURKHET: Women’s rights violations in Karnali Province are on the rise, according to new data released by the Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC).
At an interaction program in Birendranagar, Surkhet, on Thursday, INSEC Karnali Province Office revealed that between January 2020 and July 2025, a total of 2,666 cases of human rights violations were documented, of which 1,572 were related to women’s rights.
The data shows that 86 women were murdered, 19 were victims of human trafficking, and 989 other human rights violations were recorded during the five-year period.
Breaking it down further, women’s rights violations accounted for 217 of 422 cases in 2020, 199 of 379 in 2021, 212 of 394 in 2022, 273 of 467 in 2023, 415 of 624 in 2024, and 256 of 380 cases in 2025 so far.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, INSEC also reported that despite a prison capacity of 650 in Karnali, as many as 1,099 inmates are currently forced to live in overcrowded conditions.
Speaking at the event, Kalyani Khadka, chairperson of the Karnali Provincial Assembly’s State Affairs Committee, noted that violence has taken on new forms, with women bearing the brunt. She cited recent cases of husbands murdering their wives in Rukum West’s Chaurjahari and Surkhet’s Karekhola and Chingad as evidence of worsening violence.
“The laws exist, but without effective enforcement, incidents of murder and violence are rising, leaving society increasingly insecure,” she said.
Karnali’s Chief Attorney, Krishna Bahadur Hamal, pointed to misuse of social media, lack of moral education, family disputes, poverty, and illiteracy as key drivers of growing violence and rights violations. He stressed the need for stronger enforcement of laws and improved legal awareness at the grassroots level.
INSEC further noted that alcohol abuse, drug use, entrenched social norms, impunity for perpetrators, and despair are fueling rights violations against women. It recommended mobilizing community-level committees, prioritizing family reconciliation, raising legal awareness, ensuring police cooperation for victims, and advancing human rights campaigns to curb violence.
According to INSEC’s Nepal Human Rights Yearbook 2025, there were 10,734 victims of rights violations nationwide, including 9,686 women and 1,048 men. Domestic violence accounted for 5,876 cases of women’s rights violations across the country.
Participants at Thursday’s program, including police, legal professionals, rights defenders, activists, and journalists, agreed that rising incidents of violence, rape, threats, murder, and cybercrime demand stronger state intervention as well as active civic engagement to protect women’s rights.
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