Crime against women
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 15, 2014 -

Crime against women in the land of Nupi Lan and Meira Paibis!

Manipur has always taken pride in the courage and achievements of its women and the Manipuri society has always acknowledged the sacrifice and contributions of its women in various spheres of life.

The anniversary of Nupi Lan is observed every year as mark of respect to the spontaneous movement led exclusively by Manipuri women against the policy of exporting rice of the State administration even though state was facing acute shortage of rice, thus, leading to a famine like situation in 1939.

Even in contemporary era, the role of Meira Paibis in fighting the social evil of alcohol and drug abuse as well as in the battle against human rights violations by security forces have been lauded not only within the state but also all over the globe.

Irom Chanu Sharmilla struggle for repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 is still continuing for the last 14 years and her struggle will continue to inspire many individuals in their fight against injustice for generations to come.

Add to this, the tremendous achievements of Manipur women athletes and sportspersons who bring laurels to the State and the nation from various sporting competitions, both at the national and international level.

Looking at all these impressive achievements, one may conclude that Manipuri women are highly empowered and they enjoy very high status and commands respect of their male counterparts.

But this image of empowered Manipuri women received severe setback from the slew of reports related to escalating crimes against women in recent times.

These include cases of extreme domestic violence even killings by their husbands or in-laws, women and girls raped, trafficked or forced into prostitution.

From all these instances, it is clear that many women and girls in this land of Nupi Lan and Meira Paibis are far from being empowered and they are most vulnerable to all sorts of exploitation and crimes.

The frequency with which such crimes are taking place should be a cause of worry for every right thinking persons in this state.

As an immediate step to arrest this trend, there is need to set up special cells to prevent crime against women, investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, set up counseling centres for the victims and even special courts to try cases of violence against women for speedy delivery of jus-tice.

Side by side, there is an urgent need for long term policy and progammes to address the vulnerability of girls and women so as to equip them against any form of exploitation and crimes.

Last but not the least, proper education should be ensured to the Manipuri women as this would not only help them to understand their rights and privileges but also equip them to fight against any infringement on these rights.