IMPHAL, April 25: The state has witnessed a comparative jump in the rate of crime against women in the first three months of 2011 than last year. This was stated by secretary Women Action for Development Sobita while speaking at the one day capacity building on Human Right held at Singjamei Oinam Leikai today orgainised by the conflict women forum and Eikhoigi club, sponsored by women action for development.
She stated that the figure of crime against women has already touched 48 reported cases in just the first three months of 2011 from January to March.
She put the exact figure of complaints file for crime against women in the first three months of 2011 as one rape case, two found dead, two murder suspicion cases, one attempt to murder one, five suicide cases.
The period also witnessed 13 missing reports, three reports for molestation, three attempt to rape cases, eight assault cases, one kidnapped case, one life threat case, one attempt to murder, six complains against husbands and two cases of husband abandoning their wives, she added.
Further speaking at the programme she stated that even though trafficking of women and children are on the rise in the state, there are still personnel of the state police who are ignorant of the ways of dealing with the victims of women and child trafficking in the state.
According to the WAD secretary, eloping has become the biggest instance in the state where trafficking and kidnapping of women are reported and she further added that at most times the reported cases happened to involve married men.
Another major problem of the issue in the state at present is pre-marital sexual harassment of young girls. Young girls are lured by their so called lovers with the promise of marriage and take advantage of the girls. This has become a social problem in the sense that it helped in the rapid transmission of HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancies she said.
She further called on to all the women of the state to join hands and fight for women’s right and further urged the affected women victims in the state to come forward without fear.
Especially the difference between Meitei and tribal women must cease at once for the interest of women in general,” she said. During the programme, a victim Thoicha (name changed) also narrated about her story wherein she stated that her husband who is in the state security force tortured her just days after her marriage.
She also added that her husband brought home his second wife barely a week after their marriage. Unable to withstand the torture she came back to her maternal house on the seventh day of her marriage.
Speaking at the programme secretary Centre for Social Development U. Nobokeshore also deliberated on the Domestic Violence Act. 2005 and said that, today the valley women have good opportunity to save their right’s as the concern government authorities are available at all district level, however the hill women are still not getting this facilities.
He also requested the women of the state to find out what the government has been doing for the benefits of conflict widows through the Right to Information Act for their own knowledge and benefit.
The advocacy meeting today highlighted the plights of women of the State ranging from outright discrimination to threat and assault and from rape and murder to kidnapping, abandonment and suicide.
Most of the victims today were members of Conflict Women’ Forum (CWF) who has lost their husbands to the fake encounters by security forces in the State. As they put it, they have come together to fight the stigma attached to victims of conflict situations perpetuated by their families and general public. The Forum has membership strength of 80 women with more expected to join in the coming days.
