Kathmandu, June 23 -- When Kabita was on her way home from the office, a group of strangers started verbally harassing her. The stares and comments made her uncomfortable, and so she confronted them. She then yelled at them to stop, but they didn't, she says.

"I couldn't control myself and I snapped at them. Later the situation got heated and we got into a verbal brawl where we exchanged a series of expletives," says Kabita, who asked that she only be identified by her first name.

Later when she returned home, after cooling down, she started thinking about the fight.

"I didn't regret fighting with those men, as they had to be held accountable for their misbehaviour. However, I regretted using the same curse words they used on me. I rea...