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Devi and the thousands of women who are now a part of the organisation formed to support rape survivors called The Undefeated / Aparjit still have a huge mountain to climb in terms of recognition, justice and reparations for the crimes against them. Even a small amount of funding can go a long way to help. Devi has shown an extraordinary ability to organise. She’s continued travelling across the country, building groups, organising health camps, consolidating data and the voices of more survivors.
Help us support Devi to build a movement to fight for justice.
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Visit the Cookie Policy pageNepal’s civil war ended in 2006, yet for Devi Khadka the battle continues. A former rebel commander, mother, and survivor of wartime rape, Devi confronts both her own trauma and a political establishment determined to erase sexual violence from the record.
In August 2024 Nepal finally passed a landmark law on conflict-related sexual violence—the very change chronicled in our award-winning documentary Devi. For the first time, the state acknowledged women’s suffering and opened a legal path to address historic rapes. Since January 2025 thousands of survivors have met Devi; hundreds have already filed formal testimonies seeking recognition, justice, and reparations.
Devi credits the filmmaking process and director Subina Shrestha’s long-term support for her resilience:
“The documentary has played a decisive role in my battle with myself.”
When production began, only 314 wartime rape files sat unopened in government archives, effectively silencing survivors. Today, Devi’s advocacy has helped secure amendments to Nepal’s Truth and Reconciliation Act, giving survivors a route to reparations and prosecution.
Real impact means building a world where sexual-violence survivors pursue justice with confidence that society stands behind them. Nationwide screenings have already inspired 794 new testimonies which were registered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on the 19 March 2025, pushing the total past 1,000. It also spurred the government to accelerate its search for new Truth and Reconciliation Commissioners.
On 14 May 2025 the government appointed those commissioners, yet victim groups denounced the politically driven process and an unrealistic registration deadline of 21 August 2025. The TRC’s hastily drafted registration process also endangers survivors’ security.
From 3 to 19 May 2025, Devi screened in multiple cities, drawing about 3,000 viewers. Audiences debated wartime rape, shame, men’s roles in households, intergenerational trauma, and mental health—proof that the film’s influence will outlast its runtime.
Looking ahead, Devi’s team—alongside survivors’ group Aparajit (The Undefeated)—will:
In Nepal
Beyond Nepal
At the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict conference in 2022, participants from several post-conflict nations saw their own stories in Devi’s. Our next goals:
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