SHILLONG: Manbha Foundation, Chairperson Dr Rica Lamar observed that women in Meghalaya face a different kind of violence in that they have no reproductive rights and therefore cannot decide the number of children they want to have. As a result in the villages women end up having eight to nine children and poverty is replicated.
“Limiting women’s access to reproductive health care choices to curb population growth shows a disregard for women’s fundamental human rights,” Dr Lamar said while speaking as one of the panellists at a discussion on the theme of Eliminating Violence Against Women organised by the Seng Kynthei Unitarian Union North East India to observe the International White Ribbon Day here on Tuesday.
“Women in the rural areas have to seek the consent of their husbands and other family members when actually they are the ones who bear the brunt of repeated child births,” Dr Lamar said.
Editor, The Shillong Times Patricia Mukhim said that “We have been speaking of women’s empowerment for the last twenty years but do not see any demonstrable effect because women are still unable to take decisions about their own wombs and their own lives. Empowerment means having the decision- making power on critical issues such as family size and use of family planning methods.” Ms Mukhim also commended the women’s wing of the Unitarian Church for taking up the campaign to end violence against women and said other church bodies should also take up this challenge.
Meanwhile, ICARE president Toki Blah has expressed concern over the rise of crime against women in the State especially on minor children. Pointing out to the flawed argument that the increases of crime against women is due to their provocative dresses or their movements at night, Blah said he failed to understand how a five year old child who is raped can be said to wear provocative dresses.
According to him, the rise in the number of crimes against women is not only related to sexual urges of a person but it was an assertion of male power on a vulnerable victim.
Toki Blah decried the attempts by some local leaders to bring about a forceful compromise between the rapist and the raped asking, “How can a rape survivor be asked to make peace with someone who has violated and assaulted her modesty?”
Youth activist, Dr Ronald B Dunai stressed on the need to create mass awareness and education to address the issue of gender violence by way of holding of community meeting in the villages. He suggested that focussed group discussions be held to enable women to speak out their problems. He felt that the present medical system does not have space for gender sensitisation and social mobilisation of women related issues. Dr Dunai felt that both women and men should be present at awareness camps on gender sensitisation programmes to effect a mindset change in the male.
“We also have to give importance to value education to educate the youth on gender equality,” Dr Dunai added.
The panel discussion was moderated by Major Elgiva Shullai.
Earlier Rev Derick Pariat of the Unitarian Church while giving the keynote address said the church can no longer hide behind the religious texts to cover up their inability to address upfront the issue of violence against women.
“We cannot tell women who come to us with complaints of violence against them to “have patience,” Pariat said adding that it is the duty of church elders to inspire, encourage and empathise with women who face adversities.