"In India’s northeast, women traditionally play a major role in society, yet they have not found their legitimate place at the negotiation table when it comes to resolving the reasons for the many conflicts in the region”, founder of 'Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network' and secretary general of New Delhi-based 'Control Arms Foundation of India' Binalakshmi Nepram said today.
Nepram was attending the N-E Women's network NEIWIP's second consultative conclave at the Don Bosco Reach Out Centre in Guwahati to discuss alternative strategies to end violence here.
Caught in the vortex of insurgency and counter-insurgency, "women suffer the most. They are assaulted, humiliated, raped and murdered during conflicts, which are not of their making", she said.
"Women in the region need to not only understand the political economy of militarism, but also look at measures to bring back peace and justice. Therefore we need to re-evolve strategies and work together to add value to the contribution and sacrifices of selfless women groups in the past", she said.
Another speaker at the conclave, Kheshili Z Chishi, Convenor of Indigenous Women’s Forum for Northeast India (IWFNEI) and former president of Naga Mothers Association said, "north-east is infested with political problems and suspicion among the people of the region itself.
Therefore, the women community should be more pro-active in peace building and creating better understanding among the people more than ever before."
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