When the pandemic hit, violence against women and girls drastically went up in Nepal. In the first two months of lockdown, domestic violence cases increased by 65 percent.[1] To make matters worse, Covid restrictions made it difficult for women and girls trapped at home with their abusers to seek help, escape, or simply share their pain.

I was heartbroken by what was happening. Women and girls’ lives were being irrevocably harmed. Equally appalling was the weaknesses in our social and legal systems that the rise in violence exposed. Many victims of violence were not aware of the support that does exist and many women blamed themselves. This remains true today. Lack of awareness makes women and girls think that they did something wrong. The real possibility that they won’t be believed keeps women from reporting what happened to them. This is not just a social norm in Nepal. It’s a problematic global norm that needs to be changed and can be through violence prevention education.

As a researcher, I’ve worked on projects aimed at empowering girls through education, including comprehensive sexuality education, which includes modules on sexual harassment and assault. While working on this program, I realized all girls in Nepal need this education, and all boys do, too. Awareness, as they say, is this first step toward prevention, and the truth of this is why it is essential that nations adopt a treaty to end violence against women and girls.

The proposed treaty would mandate interventions proven to lower rates of violence, including laws to safeguard women; services for survivors; funding; training in domestic violence and other forms of violence against women for police officers, judges and other law enforcement personnel — and prevention education for girls, boys and all of society.

Read the full article about violence-prevention education by Deepanjali Shrestha at Global Washington.