Kathmandu (dpa)- The Nepalese capital has suffered a sharp rise in infanticide cases, mostly due to unwanted pregnancies, police said Friday.
Over the past 15 months, 27 cases of infanticide were recorded, up from 17 cases in the preceding 15 months.
"Most of these cases are related to unwanted pregnancy," said Dhiraj Pratap Singh, deputy superintendent of police.
He cited poverty and lack of education and awareness as the main causes of infanticide, but said cultural causes also run deep.
"Various reasons (for pregnancy) are not accepted by society, such as adultery while the husband is away, and even incest," he said.
Selective-sex infanticide also played a role, he said. "Most of the babies killed are female," he said, or 16 of the latest 27 cases. Police said the babies were mostly found on garbage piles by roadsides or on river banks, after being killed or simply abandoned. Many more cases probably went unrecorded, they said.
Some of the abandoned babies were rescued and moved into health care centers by the police. No arrests had been made in relation to the cases, Singh said.
Several charities are working to raise awareness of contraceptives in Nepal. The Women's Cell of the country's police is also working on sex education programs aimed at women.
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