Nepal, Sept. 23 -- In many Nepali communities, rape and sexual assault are often treated as minor offences and dealt with locally, with the accused individuals being welcomed back with alacrity. Just last week, a 30-year-old man from Pokhara, ward 29, sneaked into a minor girl's room through a window. He tried to assault her, but fled after she resisted. Cases as serious as sexual assault should involve the police and legal action against the accused. These are non-negotiable. Yet the following day, the ward's local settlement committee decided the case on its own, asking the accused to bow at the victim's feet and do squats in apology-as if it was enough for such a heinous crime.

This is not an isolated case. This August, a 15-year-old ...