AIG Govinda Thapa is a rare cop in Nepal. One of few male officers who deals with women's issues in the force, he is the first policeman in Nepal with a PhD. Working on his thesis while on the job, it took Govinda several years to get his doctorate in girl trafficking.

"It was hectic, but worth it," says Govinda, whose main concern was to examine existing laws to combat girl trafficking and their implementation.

Born into an army family from a small village in Gulmi, Govinda wanted to be a teacher and is still surprised by how his life took a different turn. After spending his youth in India, marriage brought him to Kathmandu. Govinda believes what he has done is not unique. He says with hard work and commitment anyone can start from humble beginnings like his to "become somebody".

Govinda still has fond memories of his home village of Daha. "It really gives me great joy, whenever they share their happiness about my success," he says with a smile. But his face suddenly turns serious when he recalls a close friend from his village he helped enlist in the police force who was recently killed by Maoists in Rautahat.

On the job, Govinda came face to face with numerous crimes against women and children. Instead of hardening him, they made him more sensitive towards victims. In 1996 he helped set up special women's cells in the force. There are now these special sections for women and children in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Pokhara, Biratnagar and 17 other districts. "It was a milestone for us, especially when we were often blamed by activists for neglecting women and children. We proved otherwise," says Govinda.

Women and children are most vulnerable and are reluctant to approach the police for help and Govinda wanted to change all that. With the insurgency, Govinda is aware of the growing concerns about human rights violations, particularly of those in detention. "It's not only in Nepal but across the world where police become so involved that they tend to overlook the human rights aspect," he adds.

He believes that Nepali police are gradually becoming more humanitarian in their job: "We owe it to the people to be more sensitive about respecting their rights."

NARESH NEWAR