Gender activists from all the Northeastern states have called for action against the perpetrators of sexual assault but without politicising the issue.
The incident that came to light via the viral video is “shocking, unfortunate and a gross violation of human rights,” Manipur gender activist and secretary of Women Action for Development (WAD) Sobita Mangsatabam told PTI.
“In a conflict situation, it is the women and children who are used as weapons and the same is happening in Manipur. The state has a long history of violence against women and children, but it is a sad state-of-affairs that they receive no justice,” she said.
The state is suffering from a crisis for nearly three months but it took a ‘‘shocking viral video for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak. Besides this incident, he did not say a word about the sufferings of the people in the state who have lost their families, homes and are living in distress in relief camps since violence broke out,” she said.
“Action must be taken against the perpetrators of crimes against women but it should also be ensured that those women whose human rights have been violated are not again subjected to humiliation with such videos being widely circulated,” the activist said.
Ms. Mangsatabam also appealed to the authorities not to politicise the issue.
Associations demand justice
The Mizoram State Commission for Women (MSCW), the Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (APWWS) and Naga Mother’s Association (NMA) have also written to the National Commission of Women (NCW) and the Manipur government demanding justice for the victims and a safe environment for all women and vulnerable communities.
MSCW chairperson Lallawmchhungi also appealed to the authorities to stop all kinds of violence against women and ‘‘request all males in the NE states and India as a whole not to use muscle power against women in different forms of violence by taking advantage of such crises situations.” APWWS president Kani Nada Maling told PTI that the authorities must ensure justice swiftly so that such acts are not repeated.
This particular incident would not have occurred had the central government taken action on time as “unrest in the state has been ongoing and the people of Manipur have been left crying since the first week of May.” “This incident, however, should not be used as a tool by any political party to gain sympathy. It is a human rights issue and failure of the present government to provide safety to women. We cannot sit as mute spectators when our sisters are raped but dealing with such sensitive cases, we must ensure peace and tranquility in society,” Ms. Maling said.
The Naga Mothers Association, in their letter to the NCW chairperson, called for her immediate intervention into the violent crimes against women in the ongoing Manipur violence.
“It is a matter of shame that women and young girls have been made the target and are subjected to merciless violence, include rape and killings,” the letter stated.
‘Government institutions remained mute’
The North East Network (Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland chapters) said that the government institutions mandated to provide safety to women remained mute spectators despite complaints and statements by the women and affected communities.
It is one state which is witnessing such violent crimes today but similar crimes against women continue unabated in every community, in homes, workplaces and public spaces across the country, NEN spokesperson Anurita Pathak Hazarika told PTI.
“As the conflict rages, women continue to bear the brunt, sandwiched between state and non-state actors. The targeted gendered attack on the two women and more such sexual crimes reveal a picture of failed governance and lack of a political public consciousness to treat its women as equal rights holders, and not just as victims,” she added. - PTI
