A Monthly Newsletter of Human Rights Alert
MANIPUR UPDATE

featuring ENFORCED AND INVOLUNTARY DISAPPEARANCES

 Volume I Issue III  February 2000

INTERNET EDITION 

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January Agenda

Manipur Update
Published by Irengbam Arun
on behalf of the Human Rights Alert
 
Editor :
Babloo Loitongbam

Hard Copy printed at concessionary rates by M/S Lamyanba Printers, Konung Lampak, Imphal 795001

Manipur Update
January Issue
Volume I Issue II, January 2000

Agenda 

The Invisible Violations

Discourses on Manipuri women primarily deal with their political action and their socio-economic role. But, whenever the status of women and gender discrimination issues are brought up, most scholars and activists choose to look the other way.

No doubt, the participation of Manipuri women in political action is legendary. During the British colonial period, the womenfolk rose against the colonial policies not only once but twice (1904 and 1939).

In the past, it was the colonial policies of the British which became the focal point of Women's War. Today, they are at the forefront of the movement for the protection of human rights in the midst of the armed conflict.

Beside the violence inflicted by the armed forces, the psychological trauma caused by the diverse forms of repression, the sense of insecurity and the absence of stability in their lives, they also shoulder the additional burden of sexual abuse and discrimination.

It was in such a situation that the Meira Paibi was born. They have taken unto themselves the responsibility of protecting innocent people from the excesses of military action.

In the socio-economic sector, Manipuri women play a very important role. They are the managers of the local market network and they actively participate in all kinds of productive activities. But in the contemporary development, we are also witnessing the increasing marginalization of these women.

Much have been written on the political and socio-economic role of women. But an empirical study on the real situation of Manipuri women vis-a-vis the universally recognised human rights, is yet to be done.

Behind the facade of political and socio-economic role, the lives of many Manipuri women are still governed by prejudices and stereotypes of a patriarchal society.

The prejudices and stereotypes were so deep-rooted in the socio-cultural structure of Manipuri society that it became the reason for continued ignorance of the inherent violence or discrimination. The tragedy is the general lack of interest even among the enlightened women to admit the discrimination or to challenge the status quo.

HRA shall be failing in its responsibilities as a self-professed monitor of the human rights situation of Manipur, if we continue to ignore such an important sector of human rights. We shall also not miss out on the overarching issue of the violence against women in the de-facto, permanent state of emergency either and the increasing marginalization of the women's economic function.

 

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Manipur Update Volume I
 
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