KATHMANDU: When Amrit Pariyar stood atop Mount Everest at 12:16 AM on May 21, he carried more than climbing gear to the roof of the world.

The Pokhara-born mountaineer, now based in Texas, USA, brought a series of handwritten placards bearing the names of rape survivors and victims — and a message to the Government of Nepal that he had been repeating at every altitude marker on his climb.

Pariyar, a father of twin daughters, summited Everest via the South Col route with Altipro Adventures alongside fellow Nepali climber Om Bahadur Gurung for Spring 2026.

But for Pariyar, the climb was as much a campaign as it was a personal achievement. "Being a twin girls' dad, I thought to save my daughters. So I was inspired by them," he said.

His messages — displayed at Everest Base Camp, on the summit of Lobuche Peak during the same spring season, and finally at the top of Everest — escalated in urgency with each altitude gain. At Base Camp, he held a placard reading: "Silence, delay and negligence in cases of sexual violence are no longer acceptable. Justice delayed is justice denied and the world is watching." On Lobuche, his message read: "A system that is either incapable or unwilling to act against sexual crimes has failed." At the summit of Everest, he unfurled a poster bearing the names of survivors and victims — Salina Pokharel, Inisha BK, Anshu Gautam, Nirmala Panta, Bhagawati Bhattarai, Aarati Bhattarai, Rasmita Pariyar, Ahira Pashi, and Maya BK — alongside the words: "This is not just failure — this is a system that is failing our daughters. A system that appears unable or unwilling to deliver justice."

"Justice is either delayed or denied when cases of sexual violence are ignored or hidden. Silence does not ensure safety — it enables violence," read another message he carried during the expedition.

Originally from Pokhara-19, Kaski, Pariyar completed his schooling in his home village before earning an associate degree in dental hygiene from Kantipur School of Science in Pokhara. He now lives in the United States.

For Pariyar, however, the mountains were a platform. From the highest point on earth, his message to Kathmandu was unambiguous: the daughters of Nepal are watching, and so is the world.