Stakeholders Call for Stronger Measures to Curb Rising Digital Violence

Stakeholders have stressed the urgent need to adopt and implement effective measures to protect people—particularly children, adolescents and women—from the growing threat of digital violence driven by the misuse of modern technology.

Speaking at a national dialogue jointly organised by Children as Zone of Peace (CZOP) and Sathi on Sunday, participants said cases of digital violence have increased sharply in recent years and called for improved access to justice for survivors.

They underscored the need for coordinated efforts among the government, security agencies and civil society organisations to safeguard vulnerable communities from technology-facilitated abuse.

Nira Adhikari, under-secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, said existing laws fail to adequately address the evolving nature and severity of gender-based violence carried out through digital platforms. She said the process to amend the Domestic Violence (Crime and Punishment) Act is currently underway.

According to Adhikari, women with disabilities, teenagers and people from marginalised communities are among the most affected by digital violence.

Superintendent of Police Deepak Raj Awasthi, spokesperson for the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau, said online grooming, non-consensual sharing of personal photos and videos, and digital extortion have recently emerged as major forms of gender-based digital violence.

He said police investigations face challenges due to the absence of a clear legal definition of digital violence, a shortage of human resources at the provincial level, and the 90-day time limit for victims to register complaints. Awasthi called for additional resources and stronger institutional capacity for the Cyber Bureau.

CZOP Chairperson Tilottam Poudel described the rising cases of digital violence as a “new epidemic” and expressed concern about the long-term psychological and social impact on survivors. He stressed the need for civil society organisations to create an enabling environment where victims feel empowered to speak out, and called for increased investment in survivor rehabilitation.

Similarly, Devi Prasad Dotel of the National Child Rights Council highlighted the need to further strengthen child protection mechanisms, including the Child Helpline (1098) and the Child Helpline and Children Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, to effectively manage cases of violence against children. -- RSS