But authorities in the impoverished South Asian nation admit they face an uphill struggle.

"Superstitions are deeply rooted in our society, and the belief in witchcraft is one of the worst forms of this," said Sarwa Dev Prasad Ojha, minister for women and social welfare.

"Such traditional practices cannot be wiped away overnight."

The Women's Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC), a local pressure group that campaigns for women's rights, says it has documented at least 82 cases in two years in which women who were tortured by neighbours on charges of witchcraft.

But coordinator Sarita Dahal believes this was only the tip of the iceberg.

"We believe many more women are going through the physical and mental pain that these superstitions cause," she told AFP.

"Many don't come to our attention because the women fear they will be abandoned by their families and ostracised from their communities if they come forward."

Nepalese law prohibits violence against women, but Dahal said it was rarely enforced, particularly when the victims were from marginalised groups.

Experts say superstitions about witchcraft are often merely a pretext for victimising women, and sociologist Suraj Kafle points out that it is almost always low-caste women who face such accusations.

"It is always socially and economically vulnerable women who suffer," said Kafle.

"This is simply an excuse to torture poor women who lack support from the rest of the community. Poverty and lack of education make them an easy target."

Nainakala Thapa, head of the government's National Women's Commission, called the practice a "national shame".

"Women who belong to low-caste groups are made scapegoats because they cannot defend themselves," said Thapa.

Thapa pointed out that when a person dies or falls sick it is often spiritual healers looking for someone to blame who are the first to make accusations of witchcraft.

"It is easy to identify a low-caste woman and brand her a witch," she said.

For Biswokarma and her family, now back in their home village after a stay in a women's refuge in Kathmandu, the stigma of being accused of witchcraft persists.

"I am still afraid because some of the people who tortured me are still in the village," she said.

"I have lost my dignity, but I have not given up hope. I will fight for justice."

Source-AFP