211 Female students rape victims in Far-west; Most perpetrators are friends

Dhangadhi: A staggering 211 female students have fallen victim to rape in the Far Western Province over the past three years. From the fiscal year 2077/78 BS to 2079/80 BS, the Sudurpaschim Province Police Office, Dhangadhi, reported that 76 individuals were charged with raping students.

Additionally, 24 women involved in various businesses faced forced labor during this period, with 16 individuals accused in those cases. Seven female employees also reported forced labor, leading to complaints against 22 suspects.

The data further revealed that 237 women working in agriculture were victims of rape, making them the most affected group. Women laborers have also been subjected to forced labor, with 140 wage-earning women victimized. Furthermore, 54 unemployed women were identified as rape victims during this time.

Police studies indicate that friends were the most common perpetrators, accounting for 45.65% of the cases, followed by neighbors (28.98%), relatives (15.08%), and strangers (10.29%). Rapes occurred most frequently at night (63.46%), followed by noon (25.84%), and dawn (10.70%).

Women aged 18 to 40 were identified as the most frequent victims of rape, based on the police's analysis.