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Sunday 18 August 2013

Disabled woman raped‚ conceives for second time : Myagdi

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Humanity put to shame as local men take advantage of physically challenged female

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In an incident that puts humanity to shame, a disabled woman in Myagdi’s Beni VDC has been raped several times by local men in the village.


Juneli Jugalali (name changed), 29, of Bim VDC has been sexually exploited several times by men, who took advantage of her disability and chronic poverty that have forced her to stay with her mother in a thatched house, in the middle of a jungle, a place almost isolated from the rest of the village.



Juneli was raped when her mother had gone to the field. Now, she has a six-month-old baby in her womb. She already has an 11-year-old son without father. A hapless Man Devi, the victim’s mother, said her physically challenged daughter had conceived as many males from the village used to rape her when she used to be away for work. “We do not have roof over our heads due to our poverty,” she said, adding, “My husband died some 10 years ago and I have been taking care of my handicapped daughter.”



She said she came to know that her daughter was pregnant for the second time in June this year.



Man Devi said her son is in Malaysia, but he has not contacted them for long. Juneli is her second daughter and her elder daughter is married. Local Narsingh Sherpunja said the rapists take advantage of the quiet place as they have been living in the grazing land in the jungle.



Sherpunja said that earlier locals had caught two rapists red-handed and had thrashed them severely after tying them to a tree. But even after that, some men continued to take advantage of her disability, he added.



The 11-year-son of the victim is a fifth grader at local Kisani Higher Secondary School. Aware of her plight, he pledges to look after his physically challenged mother in future.



Man Devi said her daughter’s health has worsened these days. “I cannot even manage two meals a day, let alone nutritious food for my pregnant daughter,” she said.



Meanwhile, a teacher, Beg Prasad Garbuja of Kisani HS said the rapist had been identified by a woman’s group fighting for women’s rights and he had confessed to the crime.



Coordinator of Mygadi Disabled Association Kedar Prasad Adhikari demanded severe punishment to the culprit. “We will provide help for her livelihood,” he pledged.



Women Development Officer Nirmala Sharma said that her office was preparing to file a case at the District Police Office. She also demanded stern action against the perpetrator as per law.



Source : The Himalayan Times ,  17th August 2013

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