Assessing armed violence in Nepal

Awareness of armed violence in Nepal is limited. Recent data indicates that armed violence has increased across the country after the peace agreement was signed between the Nepalese government and the leaders of the Maoist insurgency in 2006, following a ten-year long civil war – Nepal Government figures highlight a 163% increase in violent incidents (murder; attempted murder and rape) in the period 2006-2010. In Nepal victims of armed violence are drawn from the whole gamut of society, however, as for the perpetrators, of real concern is that the majority are young people. The lack of youth employment opportunities is the major driver for their involvement, with the Terai border area in the south of the country a particular hotspot.

As this new publication highlights, poverty, unemployment and illiteracy are commonly considered to be the underlying causes of crime and violence in the country. However, the porous border between Nepal and India has also fuelled cross-border criminality, particularly the illegal trafficking of small arms and the unchecked movement of criminals between the two countries. The criminal environment is further strengthened by the politicization of crime and criminalization of politics, particularly in the Terai region.

Other factors that have contributed to the problem of armed violence in Nepal have been alcohol abuse and property-related disputes which have frequently escalated into serious assaults. In addition, domestic violence – violence against women – is a serious problem.

The authors of this briefing offer a number of recommendations to combat the problem of armed violence in Nepal:

• a better regulated and monitored border control is key to reducing the proliferation of small arms. There needs to be better coordination between Nepali and Indian police so that both the flow of small arms and criminals are monitored
  
• studies have shown a proportional relation between unemployed youth and crime. With recent Nepal government statistics revealing youth unemployment to be as high as 38 percent, youth need to receive effective rehabilitation support and be engaged in employment generation and social activities
  
• domestic violence constitutes 80 percent of the total incidence of violence in the country. Promulgating a law to criminalize gender based violence (GBV) perpetrators and the formulation and implementation of educational and training programs is essential
  
• for Nepal to fully address the problem of armed violence in its society there is a need for a multi-sectoral frame of analysis and response. This would need to not only span fundamental human development issues (education, livelihoods and social equity), but also democratic governance, peacebuilding and conflict prevention, public health, human rights, rule of law and access to justice, as well as security sector reform.