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An Unequal World
We do not need to go into graphic details to say that in most societies, women are treated as second class citizens and even if the law stipulates that man and woman are equal before the State, the actual practice belies this profound concept. We are not here to go into an in-depth study on gender discrimination, or take up cudgels on behalf of the fairer sex, but yes we would certainly like to point out some of the glaring examples and irony that puts a big question mark over the status of the Manipuri women in society.
And to do this we need to look at the matter from a wider perspective. No history of mankind is going to be complete without any references to the status and place of women in the social hierarchy and their political and economic rights. If the 20th century was remarkable for the rapid advancement of mankind in all spheres of life, we also need to remind ourselves that women had to launch a massive movement in the civilized Western world to demand the rights to exercise their franchise. Even today women emancipation is a topic that generates intense interest not only on the academic front but also on the political, social and economic fronts.
In India too, the question of women emancipation has been generating interest in all sections of society and if we may add, the country is an irony as far as the status of women is concerned. If India can take pride in having a woman Prime Minister in Indira Gandhi, Sati is still an accepted practice amongst a large section of the people. Women are placed on a pedestal and worshipped as Goddess Durga but till today the demand for dowry is prevalent and the number of dowry related deaths and bride burning continue to haunt the Indian society.
Female feticide is also still a practicing phenomenon and in all cases the girl child is an impoverished, deprived member of society. That women continue to live on the razor's edge can be borne by the rape of two women on the streets of Delhi recently. Eve teasing is still an accepted practice in most cities of the country.
We draw this contradictory example of India because here in Manipur too the status of women in society is one that defies logic. We take pride in recalling the great sacrifices of our women who launched the famous two Nupi Lans but even today domestic violence is a common phenomenon and women continue to get battered at the hands of their husbands and insensitive in-laws. As president of the Naga Women Union, Manipur, Gina Sangkham disclosed to this paper in the column, Face to Face, Naga women have no inheritance rights. Now this is an interesting point.
Everything may work out fine if the family has a male successor, but what happens to the properties of the father if he passes away without fathering a son? This is not to question the custom and tradition of the Naga people but is nonetheless relevant as a number of archaic customs and tradition has been given the quiet burial. Just like in the other parts of the country, women of Manipur are till today subjected to the menace of eve teasing and dare we add, roadside Romeos appear to be thriving.
Rape is also not an uncommon practice and there have been instances where the alleged rapists have been awarded capital punishment by some of the underground organizations operating here. We draw up these extreme examples because we are of the firm conviction that unless women are treated with the due respect they deserve and unless society as a whole wakes up to the need to accord due importance to the fairer sex, then we can say for sure that Manipuri society still has ages to go before it can be called civilized.
Remember the history of Manipur will be half baked without the contribution of the women folk. And to realize this we have to take steps to prevent seemingly innocuous practices like domestic violence.
(Courtesy: The
Sangai Express)
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