Witchcraft allegations and untouchability as forms of violence upon women in Nepal: A 7-year study

Abstract

The Nepalese constitution guarantees equal rights to both men and women regardless of caste, race, or ethnicity. However, the centuries-old superstitious practice of caste-based hierarchy in the Hindu community and discrimination against people of lower caste are still prevalent. Furthermore, witchcraft allegations are also not uncommon. Both these practices are derogatory and humiliating and violate human rights, and the law can penalise them in both instances. Due to the intersection of gender and caste, women often face multiple forms of discrimination and violence as the patriarchal society considers them a weaker gender. The present study aimed to see the trend of crimes upon women reported by Nepal Police in the form of witchcraft allegations and untouchability between the fiscal years 2013/14 and 2019/20.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Marital Women’s Violence in Rural Nepal

“…The result is slightly higher than this study which found that one-fifth of women experienced home bullying, and one-third reported experiencing domestic violence. This result is consistent with the assess that found that married women are bullying in different ways (Bradley et al, 2021;Nepal et al, 2021). The statistical analysis carried out in this study provides insight into a number of parameters related to the frequency of physical punishment among Nepali married women.…”

“…This study also revealed that sufferers of harassment were more than one more likely with the habit of taking tobacco smoking than the use of fermented malt. Furthermore the substantial connotations between harassment and psychological problems of married ladies left to corporal punishment (Chapin, 2016;Pandey et al, 2023;Nepal et al, 2021). However, home bullying and corporal punishment were not significantly linked but they are related to each other.…”

“…In the form of forceful behavior that hampers the physical and mental aspect of women caused by the punishment, cyber harassment/ message bullying (Bharati et al, 2021). One out of four women is bullied at home (Dangal & Singh, 2020) and the case is more severe among married women (Nepal et al, 2021).…”