ROLPA, Aug 5: Nearly two decades after Nepal’s civil war formally ended, the stories of male survivors of sexual violence remain largely untold—buried under layers of stigma, silence and societal denial. While the suffering of women during the conflict has gained some recognition, countless men who were subjected to brutal sexual torture by both state and rebel forces have been forgotten.
In a patriarchal society where masculinity is often equated with invulnerability, these men continue to carry their trauma in silence—physically broken, emotionally scarred and still awaiting justice. Their pain, long dismissed or ignored, is a stark reminder of the gaps in Nepal’s transitional justice process.
‘Rolpa-16’ Male, 46,
In the winter of 2056 BS, he was arrested by police simply for being associated with the Maoists. He was held in custody for 15 days and subjected to brutal torture, which left him both physically and mentally traumatized. After being released on bail, returning home was no longer an option. At the time, just 21 years old, he moved to Dang under the pretense of pursuing a college education.
Unfortunately, he was arrested again the following year in Dang.
“Many others like me were detained and subjected to extreme torture. While I was held for three months, they blindfolded us, stripped us naked and pressed our genitals against heaters. Depending on the mood of the security personnel, they even forced us to masturbate in front of them,” he recalled.
Even today, those traumatic events haunt his dreams. “They would tie our hands and feet and subject us to inhumane acts. Sometimes, they would forcibly insert genitals into the mouth or anus,” he added.
Due to the prolonged sexual torture, the nerves in his genitals weakened over time, leaving him unable to maintain a sexual relationship with his wife. Decades later, carrying the burden of that trauma, he has visited multiple hospitals and spent significant amounts of money. But doctors told him that it would be difficult to return to a normal sexual life. The weight of these events continues to manifest as ongoing mental health issues.
‘Rolpa-11’ Male, 53,
In 2057 BS, he was arrested by police on suspicion of being a Maoist. After being tortured for three days at the village police post, he was taken to the district headquarters, where he was subjected to nightly beatings for five consecutive days.
“They kept beating me all night, demanding I identify Maoist members and tell them where they lived,” he recalled.
“On the fifth day, they forced me to strip completely and pierced my genitals with a pin before applying salt and Sichuan pepper on the wounds.”
The torture was so intense that he eventually lost all his teeth. Reflecting on that day, he said, “The pain was unbearable. I spent the entire night crying. When the police finally released me after 15 days, the wound had already started to fester.”
Once he returned home, his wife treated him with herbs available in the village. The wounds took nearly a month to heal.
“Now I’m 53, and not a single tooth remains in my mouth,” he said. “One by one, they all fell out after I got back.”
‘Holeri 3’
In 2057 BS, ‘Holeri-3’ was abducted by Maoists on suspicion of being an informant and subjected to three months of brutal torture. In front of others, he was forced to strip naked, crushed with large wooden logs, kicked in the genitals and verbally abused. As a result, the lower part of his body is now weakened.
“Even today, remembering those days brings pain. I was tortured for no reason,” he says emotionally.
Like ‘Rolpa 16’ and ‘Rolpa 11’, ‘Holeri 3’ still lives in the hope of some form of reparation or support. “What happened during the war happened. But no one has remembered us since. If we had received some relief, we could have managed our households, received treatment, and supported our children’s education,” says Rolpa-11.
Echoing that sentiment, ‘Holeri 3’ adds, “It may not be possible to press charges and send anyone to jail. But at the very least, we deserve some support that restores our dignity.”
It is a well-established fact that women and children are the most affected in any disaster or conflict. However, the reality that men also fall victim to sexual violence—beyond just engaging in direct combat—during various wars is often overlooked or, worse, ridiculed.
During Nepal’s decade-long Maoist insurgency, many men were subjected to sexual violence. In a patriarchal society, men are compelled to conceal their trauma for fear of losing dignity and facing social humiliation if such experiences are made public.
Nearly two decades into the peace process, the lack of any meaningful discourse around their suffering has left many male survivors unsure whether to engage in the complaints process initiated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The fear of social stigma and limited access to the Commission’s mechanisms significantly increase the risk that their grievances will remain unheard.
These men, who endured unimaginable pain without cause, are now physically and mentally disabled, and their sexual lives have been destroyed. Though difficult to believe at first, sexual torture during the conflict robbed many men of their ability to lead normal intimate lives.
Some of those who witnessed or understood the sexual violence inflicted upon men during the war now hold positions close to power or are in spaces where they could raise their voices to address such issues—but they have remained silent. Even at the local level, no one has stepped forward to help fellow survivors navigate the process of filing complaints with the Commission.
Nearly 20 years after the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) between the government and the Maoist, the TJ commission hastily issued a call for complaints, providing only a three-month window. Aside from assigning government attorney offices at the district level to receive complaints, it has failed to coordinate with other institutions to ensure a more accessible and user-friendly reporting process. If a survivor misses this opportunity, the law does not permit them to claim victim status again.
As with hundreds of women in conflict-affected districts who survived rape and sexual violence, male survivors of sexual torture still face immense hurdles in accessing the TRC.
The real identities of the survivors have been kept confidential at their request.