By Keshav Pariat
SHILLONG: February 14 is not just Valentine’s Day, but has also become a time to focus the world’s attention on ending violence against women and girls.
Through the One Billion Rising campaign, people around the world came together last year to highlight the violence that roughly a billion women and girls have been subject to.
Shillong also witnessed an OBR event last year, but will not do so this time around. Nevertheless, the issue of violence against women has not become any less important and The Shillong Times has attempted to get a feeling for what has changed one year on from the One Billion Rising last year among people in the city.
Darilyn Syiem, chairperson of North East Network, a women’s rights organisation that organised last year’s OBR in Shillong, explained that violence against women has been on the rise.
“Meghalaya, we are told, has the highest incidences of VAW” when compared to the other states of the North East, she said.
The Meghalaya police statistics for 2013 point out that 314 crimes against women occurred last year, an increase of 23% over 2012. These crimes include rape (which increased by 14.6%), kidnap and abduction, molestation and cruelty by a husband or in-laws.
However, Syiem added that the rise in registered cases indicates that women understand that violence against them is a violation of their human rights and are therefore speaking out more.
She also suggested that the government could have the biggest impact in bringing an end to violence against women. She called for more powers to be given to the State Commission for Women and for added support to counselling centres. Meghalaya also needs more inter-departmental cooperation between Police, Health, Law and Social Welfare Departments, with the police, especially, needing more training in how to handle cases of abuse. Women’s participation in local Dorbars could also play a part at a local level.
“NGOs and social activists do a lot but they are not the State and it is the State, with all the powers, that should take firm steps to mitigate VAW,” she said.
One particular group vulnerable to violence is street children, boys and girls, and there is much to be done according to Reverend Reuben G Laloo of Reach Shillong Ministries.
“Reach Shillong Ministries’ focus is mostly on urban areas but more needs to be done in the rural parts of Meghalaya as well,” he said. “As far as our experience goes, both the police and government have been doing well, but there is a lot of room for improvement from all sides to check violence against children.
“Most street children come from difficult backgrounds with little to no support system at home. They have either been abandoned by their parents or were living in an abusive family. They are especially vulnerable to violence when on the street – violence from other street children and adults who take advantage of them.”
Away from Shillong, New Delhi has received bad press recently for the seemingly never-ending problem of violence towards women as well as discrimination to those from the North East with the murder of Nido Taniam and rape of a minor girl from Manipur.
Ardahun Pinky Passah, a restaurateur in the capital, has had her fair share of negative experiences in New Delhi, but says the problem is not just specific to that one city.
“I’ve been in Delhi for over 10 years and at first it was a challenge adjusting to the new city, way of life and being an outsider. But Delhi is home and a second home to people from all around India,” she said over the phone.
“I fully identify with those fighting for the rights of North East people here and I agree that North Easterners are treated differently; I’ve experienced that too, but it’s not Delhi-specific, it happens elsewhere too.”
Things are beginning to change for the better, especially after the shocking gang-rape that made international headlines in 2012.
“Men stare less than they used to,” Passah explains. “Before it seemed like they considered their right to stare. Women are also changing. If a man stares at me today, I stare back. It’s a better situation than it was seven or eight years ago. It is slightly more positive today with people coming together for a cause of women’s safety, women’s rights.”
She also feels that the solution to ending violence against women and girls starts in the home.
“Girls should be brought up to be independent and we have to teach our sons to treat women better. I want more men to work towards making cities safer places for women. Change definitely begins in the home.”