education) and Chhaupadi (menstruating women are kept in a shed away from the home to live under harsh conditions). Based on the study by United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) entitled Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women in Nepal, abused women are more inclined to suffer from depression, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, sexual dysfunction and various reproductive health problems. In the Nepal Human Rights Yearbook 2012 by Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), a study of all 75 districts across the country returned results of 648 women as victims of violence in 2011. In addition, the number of girls under the age of 18 who were affected stands at 379. The proportion of Nepali women who have been subjected to domestic violence are estimated at 60 to 70 per cent. Gender-based violence is worse in rural communities where an estimated 81 per cent of women experience recurring domestic violence. These incidences include physical abuse by husbands, polygamy, dowry-related murders, and physical and psychological harassment by household members. Reasons for gender-based violence in Nepal are largely attributed to social taboos and superstitions associated with women and deeply entrenched beliefs that propagate derogatory attitudes toward female such as Chhori ko janma hare ko karma ("A daughter is born with a doomed fate"). Likewise, results derived from INSEC's monitoring of the situation indicated that subjecting women to domestic violence was considered a deep-rooted traditional practice. Survey results also show that 20 and 23 per cent of men and women in Nepal view domestic violence as being acceptable. Despite efforts of various human rights and women's rights NGOs, together with international aid agencies, to lobby for the elimination of domestic violence through implementation of more effective measures, the "Domestic Violence (Crime and Punishment)" bill introduced in 2002 is at a standstill. Complaints by women's rights activists are directed towards the lackadaisical efforts of the law enforcement agencies in which disputes are settled without any charges pressed against the perpetrators. This is reflected in a statement by activist and former National Women's Commission chairperson Bandana Rana, "Often, police and local people try to settle the domestic dispute by pressing the women into accepting their 'fate' as the society is still dominated by Hindu patriarchy with its own set of strict codes—many of which are in conflict with basic rights for women". In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Human Rights Watch reported that social media groups are abusing