New policy brief on armed violence in Nepal
Produced by the Nepal Armed Violence Reduction Working Group, with support from IDS Knowledge Services, this briefing looks at the problem of armed violence in Nepal.
The Nepal Armed Violence Reduction Working Group is a Nepalese network of some forty organisations (NGOs, INGOs, Nepal government ministries, UN bodies). Its first collective policy briefing draws attention to the lack of awareness of the issue of armed violence inside and outside the country. This is despite a large rise in the incidence of violence in Nepal: Government figures highlight a 163% increase (murder; attempted murder and rape) between 2006-2010, following the ten-year long civil war.
The authors detail the key drivers of crime and violence in the country - poverty, illiteracy and unemployment - and how the porous border between Nepal and India has fuelled cross-border criminality, particularly the illegal trafficking of small arms and the unchecked movement of criminals between the two countries.
They also highlight:
Finally, the authors also offer a number of important recommendations in how the Nepalese Government can address the issue - including the need for a better regulated and monitored border control, improved small arms monitoring and regulation and promulgating a law to criminalise gender-based violence.
Read "Rupantaran - Promoting Peace in Nepal" (English)
Read "Rupantaran - Promoting Peace in Nepal" (Nepali)
The authors detail the key drivers of crime and violence in the country - poverty, illiteracy and unemployment - and how the porous border between Nepal and India has fuelled cross-border criminality, particularly the illegal trafficking of small arms and the unchecked movement of criminals between the two countries.
They also highlight:
- how the criminal environment is strengthened by the politicization of crime and the criminalization of politics
- how the high rate of youth unemployment (some 38%) in Nepal is pushing large numbers of young people to commit acts of armed violence
- and how Nepal's weak commitment to international human rights law has resulted in Nepalese security forces engaging in the excessive use of force against those suspected of armed violence.
Finally, the authors also offer a number of important recommendations in how the Nepalese Government can address the issue - including the need for a better regulated and monitored border control, improved small arms monitoring and regulation and promulgating a law to criminalise gender-based violence.
Read "Rupantaran - Promoting Peace in Nepal" (English)
Read "Rupantaran - Promoting Peace in Nepal" (Nepali)
