Fighting crime against women
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 23, 2011 -

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

Nupi Lan anniversary is observed every year as a mark of respect to a spontaneous movement led and participated exclusively by women of Manipur against the policy of export of rice even as the state was facing acute shortage leading to 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 also in the battle waged against human rights violations by the security forces have been lauded not only within the state but has also caught the eye of many engaged in such battles the world over.

Irom Sharmilla's epic struggle for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 is in its eleventh year and is still continuing. Her struggle will continue to inspire many individuals in their fight against injustice for generations to come cutting across caste, creed, sex and nationalities.

Add to this the tremendous achievements of our women athletes and sportspersons who competed with the best in the world and come back triumphant bring home laurels.

Looking at these impressive achievements, as also the courage and sacrifices of the women of Manipur, it would come as no surprise, if casual observers of Manipur society were to conclude that women here are highly empowered and they enjoy a very high status and commands respect of their male counterparts.

But this image of empowered women of Manipur received severe setback from the slew of reports concerning various types of crimes against women in recent times.

These include cases of extreme domestic violence, of husbands or in-laws physically torturing and even killing the wifes, women and girls being trafficked to far off places like Goa and even abroad and forced into prostitution.

There has been numerous cases of girls, some very young, being rescued from brothels and massage parlours, which are but fronts for prostitution, from outside the state. The most recent case being that of 10 Manipuri girls rescued from a bungalow in Mumbai which was running a prostitution racket under the guise of a massage parlour on Dec 11.

Then within a week on December 17, in one of the most shocking cases of crime against women and girls, Nafisha Shahani, barely 10 years of age was allegedly raped and thrown down from the top floor of four-storeyed building at Minuthong.

From all these instances, it is clear that many women and girls in this land which so celebrated for their sacrifice and contributions, far from being empowered are most vulnerable to all sorts of exploitation and crimes.

The frequency with which these 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, counseling centres for the victims and even special courts to try cases of violence against women for speedy delivery of justice.

Side by side, there is 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.

Girls who fall victim to trafficking are invariably from the economically vulnerable section of our society, hence the fight against poverty should be part and parcel of the fight against exploitation of women.

Economically secure women are less likely to be victims of exploitation and crimes against women though it is never a foolproof safeguard.

Along with this, education is another powerful tool in this fight.

Education would not only equip the women to pursue a career but would also create a better understanding of their rights and previleges and how best to fight against any infringement of these rights.

The society should also play its part in small little ways by stepping forward to help and support those who are most vulnerable and not just react with further violence after a crime.