Kathmandu, 61% hinsha ghar bhitrai, hinsha biruddhako aabhiyaan. KATHMANDU, Nov 25: Early this year, the news media was flooded with reports about extreme levels of violence against women (VAW), and an ´Occupy Baluwatar´ campaign against such crime materialised as a consequence. Demonstrations in front of the prime minister´s residence at Baluwatar, demanding justice for the victims in a few representative cases and better mechanisms to curb VAW, went on for over 100 days. Similarly, an organization called WOREC launched a nationwide campaign two months ago, demanding change in anti-rape laws through an ordinance. In between, several organizations as well as the National Women´s Commission (NWC) and the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare organized various programs related to the issue, and today 16 days of activism against VAW have just kicked off. However, according to women´s rights activists, such sporadic efforts hardly yield the desired results. They say VAW should be recognized as a national issue, not just an issue concerning women, and the focus should be on strengthening the mechanisms meant for curbing VAW. “Without effective mechanisms to address VAW, women will continue to be verbally, psychologically and physically abused at home and in the larger society,” said Meera Dhungana, a senior advocate and human rights activist. According to her, weak investigation and security mechanisms, impunity, lengthy judicial processes and lack of social support for women who speak up about violence against themselves, are among the major issues that need to be addressed. Women´s rights activist Dr Renu Rajbhandari stressed that the state needs to show the political will to curb VAW and establish a wholesome mechanism for doing so. “Our reports show that violence against women is actually on an upward trend. Rape and dowry related cases of violence are rampant in society. At the same time, access to justice for victims is pathetic,” she said. काठमाडौं, मं