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Rising number of paedophiles in Kathmandu troubles police, activists

Kathmandu, November 16

Police arrested a Dutch national from Koteshwor of Kathmandu last week. The 75-year-old man with a tourist visa has been accused of indulging in ‘unnatural sexual activities’ with a boy from Kathmandu.

The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police say the man had lured the child to a local hotel promising he would gift him a mobile phone and sponsor his education.

This incident is a case in point for the national police organisation says such incidents are on the rise in Nepal’s capital in recent years. But, many of such cases go unreported as children do not easily share their stories owing to inferiority and shyness, according to rights activists. Nonetheless, they are optimistic that the level of awareness is increasing and more cases are coming out.

CIB Chief, DIG Pushkar Karki, says children from low economic status and those working on the streets fall an easy prey to foreign paedophiles. Likewise, police records show that most of perpetrators are tourists visiting Nepal repeatedly.

Weak regulation

Law enforcers and activists both agree that weak regulation and even weaker implementation should be blamed for increasing cases of paedophilia.

DIG Karki says punishments for child sexual abuse in Nepal is lower in Nepal than that in other countries. That is why the perpetrators choose this country as a safer host, according to him.

“Besides, staying in Nepal is economically cheaper and easier,” he says, adding some international rackets of abusers are active in pushing their members into the Himalayan country.

The official claims the paedophiles do a detailed study about nature and situations of Nepali children before they come to Nepal so that they can easily target them.

Meanwhile, activists have also analysed the need of incorporating issues of sexual abuse in school curricula so that children can differentiate abuse from love.

A general perception of the Nepali society that foreigners are here for benevolent purposes is also another reason to blame, says Madhav Pradhan, President of Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN), a leading child rights NGO of the country.

“Our society thinks that all foreigners are good. It does not care about why they are being close to us,” he says, “It has also helped foreigners with ill intention commit crimes.”

 

 

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