The rape and killing of a three-year-old girl in Nepal has sparked widespread outrage and street protests across the country. The child went missing from her home in Bara, about 80 miles from the capital Kathmandu, on August 16. Three days later, her mutilated and decomposed body was found at an abandoned house after neighbours reported a smell coming from the property.
Nine suspects arrested
A Bara police spokesperson confirmed the girl had been raped and killed. Police have arrested nine suspects. It is alleged that the young girl was lured using chocolate.
Anger has grown over the police response, with many pointing to purported delays in searching for the girl and the circulation on social media of footage said to show a suspect speaking to investigators.
Protests and demands for justice
Outrage over the attack led to days of demonstrations. Protesters held placards calling for “justice” and demanded accountability from the government and the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. They shouted slogans denouncing the police and government, accusing authorities of failing to act quickly enough both to locate the missing girl and find those responsible.
Demonstrators took to the streets and blocked motorways calling for tougher laws covering rape and sexual violence and chanting slogans such as "no one is safe".
Father's allegation
The girl’s father alleged that police failed to respond urgently after she was reported missing, leaving relatives to organise their own search for her. He told The Kathmandu Post: "I raised the matter with the police. But they said they could not proceed merely on what I was saying, and asked me to file a formal complaint by naming suspects."
A written agreement has since been secured between the government of Nepal and the family of the three-year-old, promising to construct a memorial in her honour and review laws on serious offences.
National statistics
An average of more than 2,500 rapes are reported in Nepal every year, including 250 cases where the victims are under the age of 10, according to data from the Nepal Police.
