Long road ahead for #MeToo in Nepal

The rape and murder of a teenager provoked unprecedented protests in conservative Nepal, but activists say a #MeToo reckoning like that unfolding in neighbouring India remains a distant prospect.

Thousands poured onto the streets after 13-year-old Nirmala Pant's body was discovered in July angered by allegations the police were protecting the perpetrators.

Two hashtags -- #RageAgainstRape and #JusticeForNirmala -- have become the rallying cries for protesters fed up with Nepal's woeful record of prosecuting cases of violence against women.

But #MeToo has been largely absent from the ongoing debate. Those fighting for change say women still struggle to speak out against their abusers in Nepal.

"I would love a society where you can say #MeToo," said women's rights activist Hima Bista.

In recent weeks the #MeToo movement in neighbouring India has gathered pace, a year after the hashtag first went viral.

The public allegations by Bollywood star Tanushree Dutta against a fellow actor emboldened a wave of women in India to tell their own stories.

A government minister, M J Akbar, resigned this month after at least 20 women accused him of sexual harassment. A prominent Bollywood director was also sacked over similar allegations.

The shockwaves have not gone unnoticed in Nepal, which shares strong cultural and religious ties with its influential neighbour, as well as a 1,850-kilometre open border.

"You see a slight breeze come through," Bista said of the ripple effect from India.

In the last two weeks, a handful of women have gone public with #MeToo stories in Nepal, including two accusing the former mayor of Kathmandu, Keshav Sthapit, of abusing his power.

"Nepal also has serial predators who have been misusing their powers and positions," wrote Rashmila Prajapati, who says she lost her job in Sthapit's office 15 years ago after she rejected his sexual advances.

"(It) is high time to reveal them."