Revisiting Women's Movement in J& K and North East India

Published in Epilogue, Vol 7, Issue 2

Across the conflict spectrum, men often emerge as the heroes partaking in either side of the warring factions while women are reduced down to the status of mere victims of violence, which many a times even spills into the four walls of the house. Conflict encompasses loss of property, lives, social fabric and reinforces the unequal gender relations which otherwise exist in the society. Considered as the epitome of traditions and culture of a society women fall prey to violence perpetrated by the warring elements who think that destroying a women’s chastity is equivalent to a war trophy. In spite of very unconventional roles taken by women as peace activists, head of household (conflict often gives rise to female headed households with men losing their lives in war) and combatants their efforts are either undermined or they have to face structural barriers to voice their opinions and concerns given the prevailing patriarchal nature in the society.

 Women can play very decisive roles in the discourse of conflict transformation and resolution and participate in rebuilding post conflict societies. Women in politics can bring about attitudinal changes and influence laws and policies in favour of gender equality and socio-economic development. According to a recent database prepared by Inter Parliamentary Union, Rwanda tops the list with close to 57% women’s representation in Parliament, in addition several post conflict nations like Mozambique, Argentina, Nepal occupy decent ranks of twelfth, eighteenth and twenty third respectively. Ironically, India is still placed below at 107 in the global ranking.  

In the Indian context, potent women ’s movements of Kashmir and in the North East have become a compelling topic of debates and seminars for intellectuals and academicians to mull over. There is an immediate need to address the root causes responsible for stifling these movements while simultaneously determine factors that will lead to women playing a constructive role in conflict mitigation.

In retrospect, women had actively participated in the Quit Kashmir movement during the peak Dogra Rule. Post the 1990s, in peak insurgency years, women’s groups like Dukhtaran-e-millat and Muslim Khwateen Markaz gained momentum. These pro secessionist groups gathered a lot of support from women who in later years turned their back towards it given to Islamic code and its otherwise repressive nature, which curtailed freedom of women. Since then Kashmir has not witnessed a women’s movement on a large scale. Of course, women will still unthinkingly rush to protect someone on the street who is being hauled away by militants or the security forces. However, the efforts to actualise democratic rights and conflict resolution are fragmented and lose its significance due to lack of a cohesive force. 

Women will be out on the streets to protest against the human rights violations, sexual violence and lack of developmental initiatives. However, due to its geopolitical and patriarchal nature, women face resistance to be effective change makers in a conflict situation. Politics remains exclusively a male domain, with only four women members in the Parliament. With the poor education facilities which continues to plague the State, according to the 2011 census, the female literacy rate remains startlingly low at 58.1 percent as compared to 78.23 percent for male.

The stress related problems for women in the State are soaring high. Half widows (wives of disappeared men) and widows are considered a taboo in the society. Women are not empowered to be the sole breadwinners in the family. The standards of maternal health are demeaning; health centres and hospitals are sparse and poorly maintained. These factors come across as structural barriers, which forbid women to rise above their meek status.

 In North Eastern India, though the disabling factors mentioned above are similar but it has seen large-scale women’s movement as those of Nagaland and Manipur. Meira Paibis of Manipur and Naga Mother’s Association of Nagaland have been very strong groups advocating for peace and development. Manipur women’s movement can be traced back to the Nupi Lan,during the British colonial regime which shook its foundations. They torched the residency of one of the British official for imposing forced labour upon men. They rose up against the rice export introduced by the British when the famine situation in Manipur was at its worse. 

The Meira Paibi (women’s) movement in Manipur , formerly known as Nisha Bandhi, propagated against drugs and alcohol consumption which was responsible for the increasing crimes in the region. At times, they would guard their neighbourhood with flamed torches to ward off threats and against any atrocities committed by the warring groups. NMA’s campaign “shed no more blood” has been effective in forging peace and mitigating violence. Meitei and Naga women have reached across ethnic divides to forge solidarity. They have also incorporated gender concerns into their initiative. Several women disrobed themselves at the Kangra Fort in front of Assam rifles to protest against the Thangma Manorama rape case.

Despite such a rich legacy of determined peace efforts, these movements have not been able to branch out of the grassroots into their own. These movements are nipped in the bud due to rising sexual violence perpetrated by the security forces and militants. Plagued by illiteracy, it is difficult for women to play a decisive role in conflict resolution. Politicians exploit various groups of Meira paibis to gain electoral mileage. Various insurgent groups also exploit their name to grab funds. In spite of such tremendous contribution of Naga women towards establishing human rights, Gen RV Kulkarni and Col Jacob did not consider it important for women to be part of the ceasefire presiding committee in Nagaland.

Women often operate as mothers, nurturers, caretakers in a conflict situation, which works against their advantage. They are perceived as inefficient to take part in the political process and various other platforms, which are assigned to establish peace. This mindset needs to be transformed to pave way for women to play a constructive role in conflict mitigation. After all, women behind the Liberian Mass Peace movement propelled the President, Charles Taylor, and the rebels to initiate peace talks, which lead to a resolution.

Women have a tendency to innovate new strategies in a conflict scenario within their traditional spaces. It is imperative that their peace efforts are recognised and constructive steps are taken to enhance their capacity operationally. Media can prove to be a very effective tool, instead of highlighting women as mere victims caught in a conflict, it should portray them as agents of change capable of forging survival strategies across ethnic divides. Women’s movement outside these conflict areas should work closely with these groups and adequately respond to their needs. There is a need to revisit and rejuvenate promising women’s initiatives in these conflict-ridden regions.