"Make the right use of service, End Gender Based Violence!" reads the stickers distributed by Bhotkhola Rural Municipality as its representatives travel to all five wards, raising awareness about Gender Based Violence (GBV) through community events and focused group discussions. The slogan is part of the Government of Nepal's national call to "Unite against Digital Violence" to mark this year's 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV) campaign.

Until recently, however, Bhotkhola municipality did not have formal mechanisms and resources to respond to GBV cases, if any were reported. For communities shaped by geographic isolation, awareness of GBV as a criminal offencse and knowledge of services and formal reporting pathways were limited.

The GBV Challenge

Bhotkhola municipality lies in Sankhuwasabha district, along Nepal's northern border in Koshi Province. Its landscape is expansive and rugged, marked by steep terrains and remote settlements. With no motorable roads across most of its administrative area, moving from one village to another means walking for hours-or even days. Telephone networks can disappear on days of harsh weather.

Arun River and settlements in Bhotkhola Rural Municipality in Nepal. Photo: World Bank

Indigenous Peoples make up 95 percent of Bhotkhola's population. Women in the region have traditionally held strong roles in family and economic life-reflected in the agriculture sector, where they make up more than half of the workforce.

Yet GBV continues to affect women disproportionately.

"In all GBV cases we hear of, the survivors are women. Most cases take place in households," says Ridar Siru, the municipality's GBV Specialist.

Despite national laws, child marriage and intimate partner violence persist in some communities. Domestic violence is often seen as a private matter, and related cases are typically mediated by village leaders or traditional governance systems rather than formally reported.

"There is a lack of awareness that GBV is a criminal act," adds Sarita Bhote from the Women's Development Office. "Even when we heard of cases, they rarely came to us."

GBV cases are almost never reported through formal institutional channels such as the police or local ward offices, reflecting the tendency to handle GBV cases within households or community settings. In contrast to many local governments that maintain a dedicated GBV elimination fund, Bhotkhola municipality also did not have allocated resources to support GBV survivors.

Geography compounds the challenge, making it difficult for survivors to access timely support or for authorities to understand how widespread GBV truly is.

Geography compounds the challenge, making it difficult for survivors to access timely support or for authorities to understand how widespread GBV truly is. New highways and hydropower projects, while important for improving connectivity and access to trade and services, are expected to bring an influx of workers, thereby increasing GBV risks.

Towards Streamlining GBV Response

Conversations about Gender-Based Violence (GBV) are now taking place in Bhotkhola.Building on the vital role of traditional governance bodies and community institutions in supporting families and mediating disputes, the municipality is working with diverse groups to establish a survivor-centric formal support system. This collaborative approach engages first responders including police, health professionals, and judicial representatives along with community leaders, educators, and adolescents through trainings, workshops, and awareness campaigns, fostering a shared understanding that GBV is a collective responsibility.

With support from the Institutionalizing Gender Based Violence Response in Nepal (IGBVRN) project, Bhotkhola municipality is laying a strong foundation for a sustainable survivor centered GBV response. Implemented by the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens (MoWCSC) with a grant from the World Bank's State and Peacebuilding Fund, the IGBVRN project invests in increasing GBV services through strengthened institutional coordination and capacity building in six municipalities including Bhotkhola.

With support from the IGBVRN project, Bhotkhola municipality is laying a strong foundation for a sustainable survivor centered GBV response.

"Bhotkhola never had an operational women cell because we did not have the human resource to run it. We learned that we could access resources from the government through our engagement with the IGBVRN project. We are now in the process of institutionally setting up dedicated funds to help GBV survivors" remarks Sarita.

Bhotkhola municipality is initiating a series of firsts including a dedicated municipal GBV fund, coordinated referral pathways linking community support with health and psychosocial services, and active participation in the 16 Days of Activism against GBV this year. This is helping bring together ward-level outreach, school sessions, and community dialogue to spaces where violence is often treated as private. Local officials and GBV service workers walked for hours every day across the municipality to raise awareness and share resources.

The municipality also mobilized community representatives and leaders to broaden the campaign's impact, with members of Bhotkhola's men's network against GBV actively supporting the effort. Community events with elders, school visits with adolescents and local police, focus group discussions, and distribution of education materials and brochures encouraged conversations about GBV in typically private spaces. Special outreach is also ongoing in major construction areas to inform residents about emerging risks.

Looking Ahead

MoWCSC is piloting four core GBV response models through the IGBVRN project: deploying mobile clinics to serve remote areas, establishing dedicated safe spaces for survivors, improving case management systems, and utilizing a community response model that engages local leaders, youths, and women. Looking ahead, the project has clear benchmarks for Bhotkhola's progress, including increased awareness of where to report, willingness to seek services, and improved proximity of services in remote areas.

The World Bank supports Nepal's commitment to end all forms of GBV in Nepal.

The World Bank supports Nepal's commitment to end all forms of GBV in Nepal.The IGBVRN project is a strategic investment aimed at enhancing institutional mechanisms and governance to support GBV survivors. The project's response models offer practical, scalable approaches that other municipalities can adopt, helping reinforce national mechanisms that protect women, girls, children, and other vulnerable groups.