- Abortion legal status
- Legal
- Emergency contraception
- Without a prescription
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: aboundholidays.com, nepalintrepidtreks.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- Emergency contraception (brands like i-pill, E-Con, Unwanted-72) can be bought directly from any pharmacy in Kathmandu without a prescription — no doctor visit needed.
- Regular birth control pills are also sold over-the-counter at Nepalese pharmacies, which is convenient for nomads who don't want to arrange a local prescription.
- If you're newly arrived, it's worth locating Marie Stopes Nepal's Kathmandu service point in advance if you may need IUD, implant or injectable contraception — staff there specialize in family planning counseling and can guide you to the right method.
- For any assault or gender-based violence situation, 1145 (Khabar Garaun) is the nationwide 24/7 toll-free number, and SASANE's helpline (1660 013 0013) is another 24/7 toll-free option; both can connect you onward to police, medical care, or shelter.
- Awareness of emergency contraception is still relatively low among the general population in Nepal, so don't assume pharmacy staff will proactively bring it up — you may need to ask for it directly by name.
- Abortion is legal in Nepal on request up to 12 weeks, and up to 28 weeks for rape, incest, or serious health/fetal risk — but in practice, some facilities still turn away women who are legally eligible, especially past the first trimester, so it's worth confirming directly with a specific hospital's OBGYN department rather than assuming a walk-in will be straightforward.
- Public hospitals are supposed to offer legal abortion free of charge; private clinics charge a fee that isn't consistently published online, so call ahead to confirm cost and pregnancy-age cutoffs before showing up.
- Sex-selective abortion is illegal in Nepal, and providers are trained to screen for this — be prepared for direct questions about your reasons if you're visibly further along.
- Major private hospitals and clinics in central Kathmandu (e.g., Venus Hospital, Clinic One) generally have English-speaking doctors, which can make navigating care easier for foreign residents.
Street, Night and Taxi Safety
Street Harassment — How Common and Where
In Kathmandu, harassment generally takes the form of staring, unwanted comments, or persistent attention from touts and vendors rather than physical assault, and multiple sources describe it as mild to moderate rather than frequent or severe. Crowded local markets, Thamel's tourist strip, and public buses are the settings most often mentioned. A World Bank-backed study on gender and public transport in Kathmandu documented sexual harassment of women on buses as a significant enough problem that the city introduced a women-only bus service as a response.
Walking Alone at Night — Where It's Fine and Where to Be Careful
Central tourist areas such as Thamel, Lazimpat, Baluwatar, Patan/Lalitpur, and Boudhanath are commonly named as comparatively safe for a woman on her own, partly because Thamel has round-the-clock activity and nearby tourist police. Guides specific to Kathmandu flag poorly lit backstreets east of Thamel, and unfamiliar streets generally after around 10pm, as the contexts where caution is advised. Country-level advice from Australia's government also recommends avoiding travelling alone at night in general.
Taxis and Ride-hailing
Australia's official travel advisory for Nepal notes that taxi drivers often refuse to use the meter and overcharge, and recommends agreeing the fare before the trip or using an online ride-hailing service instead; it also notes taxis are much less available in the evening and often lack rear seatbelts. Several Kathmandu-specific guides describe app-based rides such as Pathao and inDrive as the safer choice because they offer GPS-tracked routes, upfront pricing, and a recorded driver profile, as opposed to hailing an unmetered street taxi after dark. One first-hand account from a woman living in Nepal notes that some local women write down or text home a taxi's license plate number before getting in alone at night.
Drink Spiking Risk
Australia's government travel advisory specifically documents drink spiking ahead of sexual assault as happening in popular areas of Kathmandu and Pokhara, and states that women are at particular risk when alone and at night. This is called out as a real, location-specific pattern rather than a generic warning, so keeping an eye on your drink in bars and nightlife areas is worth taking seriously.
Public Buses and Overnight Transport
The same official advisory recommends avoiding public buses and vans generally, describing them as overcrowded and poorly maintained, and states plainly that women may be harassed, including sexually, on public buses; overnight bus travel is flagged as especially risky because of poor lighting and road conditions. This guidance is given at the country level rather than specifically for Kathmandu, but Kathmandu's crowded city buses are mentioned elsewhere as a setting where harassment and pickpocketing both occur.
Practical Precautions Commonly Recommended
Recurring, practical advice across Kathmandu-focused guides includes booking accommodation with 24-hour reception in well-lit, central areas; dressing modestly (covering shoulders and knees) outside the Thamel tourist bubble to reduce staring and unwanted attention; keeping bags close and on the side away from traffic in crowded areas; and sharing your live location or trip details with someone when taking a taxi alone at night. Direct confrontation with harassers is generally discouraged in favor of ignoring the situation or seeking help from people nearby.
Abortion Law And OB-GYN
Abortion Law
- Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Legal Basis
- Right to Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights (SMRHR) Act, 2018, building on the 2002 legalization (11th Amendment to the Muluki Ain) and the Muluki Criminal (Penal) Code, 2017.
- Access Routes
- Legal abortion is available at government-approved public hospitals, NGO-affiliated clinics, and licensed private facilities. Public facilities are supposed to provide the service free of charge under a Supreme Court-ordered fund, while private and NGO providers may charge a fee. Both manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) and medication abortion (MA) are offered as options where weeks of pregnancy permits.
- Practical Reality
- Research has repeatedly found that a significant share of women who are legally eligible are still turned away by facilities, and that over half of all abortions in Nepal occur outside the formal legal system, often due to low awareness of the law, stigma, or provider refusal — meaning the law on paper is more liberal than what a patient may experience at a given facility.
- Abortion Time Limits
- Abortion is available on request, with the woman's consent alone, up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Beyond 12 weeks and up to 28 weeks, it is legal in cases of rape or incest, or where a licensed medical practitioner certifies a risk to the woman's life, physical or mental health, a fetal abnormality, or where the woman has HIV or another incurable disease. Beyond 12 weeks these procedures must be performed by a trained obstetrician/gynecologist or MDGP doctor.
- Cost Note
- Legal abortion is intended to be free at public facilities; private/NGO clinic fees vary by provider and were not consistently published, so no reliable specific price figure is given here.
- Sex Selective Note
- Sex-selective abortion is explicitly not permitted under the law, and providers may deny care if this is suspected as the reason for a request.
OB-GYN Options
Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital
- Area
- Thapathali, central Kathmandu
- Type
- Public specialist maternity/OBGYN hospital
- Notes
- One of Nepal's main public referral hospitals for obstetrics and gynecology, including postabortion and safe abortion care.
Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital — Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Area
- Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
- Type
- Public teaching hospital
- Notes
- Major academic OBGYN department with OPD ticket hours on weekday mornings and early afternoons.
Venus Hospital — Gynecology Department
- Area
- Mid-Baneshwor, central Kathmandu
- Type
- Private hospital
- Notes
- Private hospital offering routine gynecological checkups, pregnancy care, and gynecologic surgery in a central, easily accessible location.
Clinic One (Dr. Smrity Maskey and Associate Consultants)
- Area
- Lalitpur, adjoining central Kathmandu/Patan
- Type
- Private clinic
- Notes
- Private women's health clinic popular with expats; Dr. Smrity Maskey holds an MS in Obstetrics and Gynecology and has worked with USAID, UNFPA, and GIZ on national reproductive health programs. Offers clinic-visit and online OPD consultations.
National Helplines
Khabar Garaun 1145 (National Women Commission)
- Number
- 1145
- Hours
- 24/7
- Notes
- Toll-free helpline service operated by National Women Commission for reporting violence and getting help.
- Description
- National Women Commission of Nepal helpline for gender-based violence.
SASANE Women and Children Helpline
- Number
- 1660 013 0013
- Hours
- 24/7
- Notes
- Run by a Nepal-based NGO founded by trafficking survivors.
- Description
- Toll-free helpline run by SASANE offering free legal information, counseling, and emergency support for survivors of human trafficking, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and child marriage.
Kathmandu Based Support Services
Saathi (Ashreya Shivir Shelters)
- Type
- Women's shelter, counseling, legal and medical support referral
- Description
- Saathi operates women's shelters (Ashreya Shivir) providing accommodation for up to six months along with counseling, legal support, reintegration and medical support for survivors of physical, sexual and mental abuse.
- Location Note
- Operates shelters in Kathmandu (among other districts); access is via referral, not a walk-in public address for safety/confidentiality reasons.
One-Stop Crisis Management Center
- Type
- Government-linked coordinated crisis response
- Description
- A hospital-linked crisis center that the 1145 national helpline connects survivors to, alongside Nepal Police and civil society organizations providing shelter, healthcare and legal support.
- Location Note
- Accessed via referral from the 1145 helpline or Nepal Police; typically hospital-based.
Contraception And Emergency Contraception
- Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
General Access
- Birth Control Pills
- Available without a prescription at pharmacies across Kathmandu.
- IUD Implant Injectable
- Legally available via clinics/hospitals and family-planning-focused providers (e.g., Marie Stopes Nepal offers a range of short-term, long-term and permanent contraceptive methods with counseling); exact current pricing for IUD/implant insertion in Kathmandu was not confirmed via a reliable current listing, so no figure is provided.
- Description
- Nepal permits over-the-counter, prescription-free purchase of oral contraceptive pills and emergency contraception at pharmacies. IUDs, contraceptive implants and injectables are also legally available through clinics and NGO-affiliated providers such as Marie Stopes Nepal.
Emergency Contraception
- Access
- Purchasable without a prescription directly from pharmacists.
- Price Low
- NPR 70
- Price High
- NPR 600
- Effective Window
- Most effective within 72 hours of unprotected sex; sooner is better.
- Price Range Note
- Reported prices vary noticeably by source and year: an older pharmacy-price survey put a single pack at roughly NPR 70–160, while a more recent 2026 pharmacy-cost source lists NPR 150–600 for a pack. Actual price will depend on brand and pharmacy.
Common Brands
- i-pill
- E-Con
- Unwanted-72
- Econe
- iFree
- Contragest
- Feminor
- Max-72
- Pregnon
Emergency Police
- Number
- 100
- Description
- Nepal Police emergency number, nationwide including Kathmandu.
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this women's health & safety research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Kathmandu
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.