Crimes against women and children 2025 saw a dip, but still battered, killed
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 31 2025: Even as this year has seen a decrease in reported cases of crimes against women and children in Manipur compared to previous years, the question of whether their overall condition has improved remains unanswered.

For instance, on December 27, 2025, one Khaidem (ongbi) Chaoba Devi, a 27-year-old housewife from Wangoi, was found dead under suspicious circumstances.

Earlier, on October 13 of this year, Angom Ningol Asem ongbi Rita (67), a physiotherapist, was found brutally murdered on the second floor of her house at Yaiskul Chingakham Leirak.

In March, a 31-year-old married woman was found dead with bruises on her body in a pond at Malom Makha Leikai.

Then, in May, another woman, identified as Thingam Roshni (19), was found dead under suspicious circumstances at Kakching Khunou Umathel Awang Leikai.

Her last rites were performed without a post-mortem.

According to reports compiled by Women Action for Development (WAD) from various newspapers, 98 cases of crimes against women and children were reported in the State this year (till October), marking a decrease from the average of over 110 cases in previous years.

In this regard, WAD secretary M Sobita emphasised that the analysis of crimes against women and children should not rely solely on data, but also consider the nature of the crimes and the contributing factors.

Stating that crimes against women and children have been on the rise in Manipur, she added that there, however, has been a decrease in the reporting of such crimes this year, possibly due to the ongoing crisis in the State.

Sobita said that slow pace of police investigations and delays in the delivery of justice in cases of crimes against women and children often leave victims feeling disappointed and struggling with mental distress.

She expressed concern that perpetrators of such crimes remain unarrested in many cases in Manipur, leading to a loss of faith in the authorities.

Sobita also said that internally displaced women and children are especially vulnerable due to the difficult conditions they face in relief camps.

The rise in crimes against women poses a serious threat to the reproductive health of women too, Sobita said and added that domestic violence, however, is often viewed as normal in Manipur and it is a troubling sign.

Whether Manipur will be able to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal no 5, which aims for gender equality by 2030, remains a big question, she said.

She went on to state that cases of crimes against women and children continue to rise in Manipur although the Government has implemented various schemes and programmes for them.

The authorities act swiftly to arrest perpetrators in cases like bank heists, she said and added that such urgency, however, is often absent in cases involving crimes against women and children.

Meanwhile, the Manipur State Commission for Women reported 61 cases of crimes against women and children this year, compared to 48 in 2024, 58 in 2023, 78 in 2022, and 84 in 2021 .

MSCW Chairperson Tiningpham Monsang said that many cases of crimes against women and children go unreported because people are unsure where to file a complaint, prefer to reach private agreements, or choose to conceal the incidents.

Appealing to the public to report crimes against women and children to the MSCW, she emphasised that every individual has a role to play in promoting gender equality.

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