1 June 2019
Prativa Shrestha
A heart wrenching music video “Balaatkaari lai faansi dey is released by a popular Nepali rock band “The Shadows Nepal”. The video, which is directed by Anup Sapkota, shows how widespread rape is in Nepal and how children under 10 are vulnerable to such a gruesome crime and are being targeted by the people they know and trust.
The six-minute long video is powerful, emotional, sometimes distressing to watch, and does not fail to send chills down your spine with the unfiltered reality.
The video is a true representation of Nepali society where the justice system has failed to bring the perpetrators to justice. Upon asking for justice, the rape victims, survivors and activists are silenced by the system itself. On the other hand, the rapists are protected and untouched and those are the ones who hide behind the mask of “protector”.
It reminds you of the case of Nirmala Pant who was raped and murdered. The case is almost one year old; however, the Nepal Government has not been able to find the criminal and provide justice to Nirmala and her protesting family.
There are other hundreds of cases of rape which occur everyday but due to failed justice system of the country, the cases remain just as statistics and the voice of victims get lost in the crowd.
However, the video ends with a strong activism of capital punishment to the sexual predators. Capital punishment has always been a debatable topic in the justice system. However, a country like Nepal where victims are blamed and shamed, there has to be strong and effective law that should protect and support the victims and survivors and hold the criminal accountable. There should exist such a environment where the victims can freely report the incident without any second thoughts and possibility of being shut down.
