The other day, a video grabbed my attention where a college girl was sharing her experience of sexual harassment in a public bus. Her body was trembling because of rage, pain, fear and frustration; her voice was choked and she was crying badly. My heart went out to her. At the same time, I started to remember the days some 40 years ago when we used to live in Kirtipur. During that time I had to travel to Kathmandu by public bus every day because I was studying at a college there. There were very few buses, and they were extremely crowded every time you got on. There were no seats available, so I always had to stand, facing a lot of unwanted touches and pressure. It was so frustrating and would make me feel sick. Because of hopelessness, every night I would think of quitting college.
The worst part was that I could not even raise my voice against that harassment. It was shameful to talk about such subjects at that time. In this regard, I found the girl luckier than me, as she at least was able to bring the topic of harassment to the public. I was extremely shocked to learn about the fact that after all these years the problem remains the same even if there are numerous talks and awareness programmes on gender equality! The public buses may be the easiest space for males to abuse females but there are cases of sexual harassment in other situations as well. A police officer posted in Kathmandu also has a similar story to share. According to her, some girls from a private school came to the police station to report that some of their teachers had harassed them. Based on this report, those teachers were arrested.
Irony
The students from that school were not satisfied. So, they gathered in the police office demanding the death penalty for those teachers. The crowd was so big that the lady police officers were also there to control those youngsters. What was ironic was that the same boys who were demanding justice for their friends (girls) were harassing those female police officers. Witnessing and experiencing all this, she concluded that no woman is safe in Nepali society, so we must protect ourselves, as no one is there to support women. What a bitter reality she expressed.
The problem of sexual harassment is not only limited to Nepal; it is worldwide and anybody can be a victim of this. One of the worst such examples can be of Aimee Anne Doffy, a popular Welsh singer and songwriter. She was internationally famous once she released her debut album 'Rockferry'. It became the UK's biggest-selling album of 2008. Not only this, it made her win a Grammy and three Brit Awards. She released her second album 'Endlessly' in 2010. Then she surprisingly vanished from the music industry. It took her nearly a decade to reveal a cause for her disappearance. What she said was quite disturbing - she had been drugged, kidnapped and sexually assaulted.
In principle, any type of harassment is not tolerable but sadly, it is happening here and there frequently. In the case of Nepal, sexual harassment basically occurs in public spaces and workplaces. The studies show that 66 per cent to 92 per cent of women and teenage girls experience verbal, physical or non-verbal harassment while commuting. Similarly, women at their workplaces have also not been spared. The available studies point out that half of female workers have experienced one or another sort of harassment; it ranges from verbal abuse to unwanted physical contact.
There are laws to protect workers from unwelcome physical, verbal or digital sexual mistreatment. These include the Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention) Act of 2015 and the Labour Act of 2017. Under Nepali legislation, physical misconduct includes unwanted touching, physical contact or advances; verbal/non-verbal behaviour is related to inappropriate comments, sexual innuendos and suggestive gestures; digital means sending explicit texts, emails or displaying pornographic material; and quid pro quo includes demanding sexual favours in exchange for employment, promotion or other job benefits. Breaching sexual harassment laws results in penalties. The offenders can have up to 6 months of imprisonment, fines of up to Rs. 50,000, or both. If they repeat, they need to face double these penalties. Furthermore, employers who fail to establish compliant workplace prevention policies can also be fined up to Rs. 25,000. Even this is the case, sexual harassment is a major issue to deal with.
Good news
It is good news that the present government has been seen to be quite sensitive towards the matter of women's safety. Therefore, it has made a commitment to introduce Women-Only Blue Bus Service in all seven provinces to ensure a secure commute and protect women from public harassment. In addition, it is going to introduce Safety Technology Integration in public transportation. This includes the installation of CCTV, dashcams and GPS systems on public buses alongside SOS buttons for instant alerts directly to the police. Among these devices, CCTV and SOS buttons are helpful to take immediate action against those who dare to harass women or girls.
Now the government should effectively implement the sexual harassment laws at workplaces and develop a strong mechanism to punish those who do not comply with these laws. Also, female workers should not hesitate to bring the harassment issues to light if they experience something wrong from their co-workers or bosses. The term gender equality should not be in paper only; instead, it must be in practice.
(Published in an English Daily The Rising Nepal on Friday, June12, 2026 )
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I would appreciate any and all suggestions on making improvements (as long as they are viable).