Manika Jha
One night in January 2009, a gang of men broke into the home of Manika Jha’s neighbour and fellow journalist Uma Singh, and knifed her to death. They scrawled a cross on Manika’s door, with the message that she would be next.
Manika writes on corruption, women’s rights and discrimination. In Nepal this is a dangerous profession if you are a man; as a young woman doubly so. Dhanusha district, where Manika is based, is one of the most volatile regions of Nepal. It is also very conservative, particularly when it comes to the role of women in society.