Does the 'empowered Manipuri woman' actually exist or is the phrase just a myth? Even though the world sees the militancy-ravaged, but culturally-advanced and sport powerhouse, state as one of the few places in the country where women are truly free and respected, the womenfolk of Manipur - 'Nupi' in the Meitei dialect - still see themselves as victims.
Issues like domestic violence, HIV, sexual assault, gang rape, murder and now human trafficking still plague the women of the state. This perhaps explains why Manipur is home to numerous women-empowerment groups - there is one for HIV-positive women, another for widows of conflict, and another for victims of domestic violence. But these organistaions have not been able to shift the world's focus from shocking incidents - including recent naked protests by elderly Meitei women against rapes by Assam Rifles. Manipuri women, along with the rest of the country, now looks in awe at the fast by Irom Sharmila Chanu, the "Iron Lady of Manipur", who for the last 11 years has been protestiong the imposition of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.
Read more in Times of India, published 13. Jan
Does the 'empowered Manipuri woman' actually exist or is the phrase just a myth? Even though the world sees the militancy-ravaged, but culturally-advanced and sport powerhouse, state as one of the few places in the country where women are truly free and respected, the womenfolk of Manipur - 'Nupi' in the Meitei dialect - still see themselves as victims.
Issues like domestic violence, HIV, sexual assault, gang rape, murder and now human trafficking still plague the women of the state. This perhaps explains why Manipur is home to numerous women-empowerment groups - there is one for HIV-positive women, another for widows of conflict, and another for victims of domestic violence. But these organistaions have not been able to shift the world's focus from shocking incidents - including recent naked protests by elderly Meitei women against rapes by Assam Rifles. Manipuri women, along with the rest of the country, now looks in awe at the fast by Irom Sharmila Chanu, the "Iron Lady of Manipur", who for the last 11 years has been protestiong the imposition of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.
Read more in Times of India, published 13. Jan