Published: June 6, 2018

This is the fifth of a series of quarterly reports from the Nepal Peace Monitoring Project (PMP). The PMP uses a methodology similar to NepalMonitor.org’s alert and mapping system, with a focus on gathering information on violence and political contestation. The PMP’s goal is to improve our understanding of violence in Nepal to better respond to it and promote peace.

Summary:

From January to March 2018, the PMP recorded 789 incidents (536 violent and 253 non-violent), 14 percent less than the previous quarter. There was an overall decrease in violent incidents, however the number of fatalities increased by 7 percent. Two important trends were witnessed this quarter; a spike in gender based violence (GBV), and a rise in governance related issues. GBV was the main driver of violence in this quarter, with 251 incidents from a total of 536 violent incidents. The incidents doubled from 125 in the last quarter. The trend of pressuring victims to reconcile with the perpetrators continues to be of significant concern. At times, police officers and elected local officials have been found to be involved in suppressing the prosecution of the crimes. There is therefore an urgent need to build the capacity of the newly elected local representatives, as members of municipal judicial committee to handle such cases appropriately.

Following the successful completion of the 2017 elections, there was a drop in political violence. However, the first quarter of 2018 saw a rise in governance related incidents. There were 142 recorded, in addition to disputes over the location for provincial capitals and municipal centers (69), and violence and protests from cadres of the Communist Party of Nepal, led by Netra Bikram Chand (71).