Nepal
From 1996 until 2006, thousands of people were subjected to conflict-related sexual violence in a civil war between the armed forces and rebel groups who later became the Communist Party of Nepal.
Women belonging to indigenous groups, so-called lower castes and impoverished communities were particularly targeted and subjected to severe moral, physical, and psychological harms. These were committed by all parties to the conflict against victims in custody or detention, as well as in their homes and in public.
Almost two decades later, survivors have tried to rebuild their lives while dealing with the continued painful consequences that reparation can help remedy. They have debilitating physical injuries, experience psychological problems, and are heavily stigmatised. Adding to their injuries is the denial of their status as victims of the conflict.
Project Partners
2021
WORK BEGAN
437
SUSRVIVORS SUPPORTED
They threw my complaint out without filing it and said, this kind of incident [typically] happens in conflict.
In 2008, the government began an interim relief programme, aimed at different categories of conflict victims. However, this did not include victims of conflict-related sexual violence or torture.
In 2024, the Global Survivors Fund (GSF), Nagarik Aawaz and partners began identifying survivors for an interim reparative measures project, to take place in Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinces. As of March 2025, survivors were in the process of designing their individual measures.
Identifying survivors in Nepal is incredibly difficult, owing both to remote, mountainous terrain and the pervasive stigma that keeps many silent. We turned to 30 women peace facilitators, who are survivors themselves, to identify fellow victims. They sometimes met in unconventional settings, such as nearby fields and forests, to maintain survivors’ right to privacy. Counsellors played a key role in this process and provide ongoing support to victims.
Despite the obstacles, more than 400 survivors came forward – 50 percent more than our initial expectations. Many more are believed to live in districts that facilitators were unable to reach. With previous estimates of 300 to 2,000 victims of conflict-related sexual violence across the country, it is clear that the real number of survivors is underreported.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Since 2023, GSF has partnered with Advocacy Forum and the International Commission of Jurists in Nepal to forge connections between victims, civil society, and the government in designing and delivering a relief and reparation programme for survivors.
In August 2024, this gained traction with the passing of an amended Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, originally put forward in 2015. This opened a window for victims to register their cases for reparation. As part of the changes, perpetrators of rape and other serious sexual violations cannot receive amnesty.
The Aparajit Foundation, a survivor network, played a crucial role in advocating for survivors’ rights in the law. GSF provided technical support on identifying and registering survivors under the law, to be carried out in 2025.
Before psychosocial counsellors, nobody, not even my family members, ever asked me how I felt.