"Nritya"

During the course of the past week, I have been away from the city of Kathmandu and have traveled to rural and remote villages up in the mountains of West Nepal. While the atrocities that occur here are no different from what may happen in the city, it is important to remember that there is a severe lack of resources as one goes into more rural areas. A lack of resources can also mean a lack of education, a higher likelihood of child marriage, and a less comprehensive understanding of sexual harm among individuals. The story before along with the next few are the accounts of people in the most remote parts.

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“As soon as I hear a song, my body starts to shake and I just want to dance,” Nritya joyfully told us this before she showed us the latest dance routine she has been working on. She told us that as soon as she starts to dance, she forgets the pain of her past, even if it is only for a short moment. At 19, Nritya was working on a poultry farm to bring in funds for her family. She took care of the chickens on the farm while studying to become a lawyer. Her family lived in poverty, and thus she had to work to take care of everyone; she was actually the breadwinner of the family.

One day, Nritya was tending to the chickens when the owner of the poultry farm came up behind her and raped her. This was not a one-time thing either, Nitrya told us as she recounted her story. She later told us that the owner would put drugs and substances in her foods and drinks to make her unconscious. He did this to abuse her without her having any recollection of it. She became pregnant but was unaware of this fact until 5 months later. Nritya felt she had no other choice but to continue working on the farm. The owner would threaten her life and job if she dared tell anybody. While she was pregnant, the owner continued to rape her. He would force her to take pills and drugs, until one day she started heavily bleeding. She was miscarrying but did not know it at the time. She did not go to the hospital out of fear. When the pain was too difficult to bear, she opened up to her family who quickly blamed and disowned her. They told her that she was a disgrace and that it was her fault she became pregnant. The village she grew up in also turned on her, talked badly about her behind her back, and blamed her for the abuse she endured.

Nritya had nowhere to go, and she felt as though her only option was to go back to the owner of the farm and ask for help. They forced her to live without food or proper medical attention, even though she was still actively bleeding from the miscarriage. At the time, Ntriya did not know she was miscarrying, as she did not even know that she was pregnant. Nritya begged her mother to file a case against the farm’s owner, but she refused to allow Nritya back into the family. Minors are not able to file reports, and Nritya was dependent on her family to do so. They all still blamed her for what she was experiencing. Upon asking how this made her feel, she told us that while it deeply affected and hurt her, she no longer wants to be within a community that does not accept her. In other words, she is doing her best to make terms with this treatment.

When Nritya realized she was miscarrying, she got herself to the hospital and was treated in the OCMC. This is a separate wing of the hospital for those who have experienced sexual violence. When they examined her, they found a large mass from the drugs she was forced to take. They also confirmed she had lost the child. Upon being discharged from the hospital, the staff required someone to come and collect her. The only person she could call was the farm’s owner. After arriving, the police questioned him and warned him not to abuse her again. However, the two were allowed to leave the hospital together. When they reached home, he forced Nritya to sleep on the floor and told her that she had to leave the next morning or he would kill her.

The next day, the police called to question both of them, and Nritya tried to stand up for herself. She told them the truth, while the man who abused her accused her of sleeping with other people. The police, seeing how critical of a condition she was in, referred her to a safe house for a few days. From there, she was referred to the shelter. She has been here for four months now.

Nritya spent the afternoon before lunch dancing around the shelter’s living room. We saw the smile on her face as she listened to Bollywood pop songs and taught others in the shelter how to dance. “I have found a community here. Those senior to me ask me how I am and support me while those junior to me respect me and look up to me. I grew up with all brothers, and to have more feminine energy around me has brought me peace.” The shelter was able to provide a loving and supportive environment that gives Nritya hope. Instead of continuing her law degree, the shelter has helped her in her goals of attending police training. When we asked her why she wanted to become a police officer, she said, “Police have lots of power in the rural areas of Nepal. When women are dominated by the men here, I want to use my power as a police officer to help.”