Women's rights in Jammu and Kashmir
Women's rights in Jammu and Kashmir is a major issue. Belonging to a patriarchal society, they have had to fight inequality and routine discrimination. Since the onset of insurgency in 1988, rape has been leveraged as a popular 'weapon of war' by Indian security forces. Separatist militants have also committed rapes, which remain under-researched but are not comparable in scale to that of the Indian state forces.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Women's rights in Kashmir Valley has major issues[8] as there is harassment of young muslim women participating in sports activities,[9] demands of dowry after marriage,[10] domestic violence incidents,[11] acid attacks on women ,[12] and men being generally taken in a higher regard than women. Many small organisations have been formed to struggle for women's rights in Jammu and Kashmir.[13]
Education
J&K's social, economic and political conditions have increased gender disparity in the region, with men dominating its socio-economic and political processes.[citation needed] Women's roles have traditionally been domestic, and women in rural areas do not have access to education.[citation needed] According to a 2011 census, the literacy rate in J&K was 68.74 per cent; literacy among women was 58.01 per cent.[citation needed] The female high-school dropout rate is higher than the male rate, and one out of every three adult women in J&K is unable to read or write (compared with one out of five adult males).[citation needed]
In many rural areas, the birth of a son is celebrated; the birth of a daughter is not. Males are seen as able to get a job and help support a family; females are seen as an expense, since they will marry and leave home.[citation needed]
Article 10 of the
Citizenship
According to the UN General Assembly's
On 7 October 2002, the
Although the bill was not passed, a similar bill was introduced in March 2010 ostensibly to stave off demographic change;[16] however, the rationale did not address the male role (through intermarriage) in demographic change.[16] That bill was not passed, but it has considerable support.[16]
Role of women in the conflict
In 1989, Kashmiri dissatisfaction with Indian rule led to the Kashmir conflict resulting in the abuse of women in the region[6] According to a report by Human Rights Watch in 1993, the Indian security forces use rape as a method of retaliation against Kashmiri civilians during reprisal attacks after militant ambushes.[17][18][19] Professor William Baker states that rape in Kashmir was not the result of a few undisciplined soldiers but an active attempt by the Indian security forces to humiliate and intimidate the Kashmiri population.[20]
When public support of the militancy began to diminish, many militants turned to the political arena; however, the voices of women have not been accorded their rightful place in the dialogues of the Kashmiri conflict and politics.[6] Although women have been the hardest-hit victims of the conflict and have played pivotal roles in separatism and the armed insurgency,[6] their activities are barely mentioned in mainstream narratives of Kashmiri militancy.[6] The media seems uneasy with the idea of female Kashmiri involvement in militancy; when a woman is charged as an overground operative of a militant group, the media swiftly declares her innocent or justifies her.[6]
Dukhtaran-e-Milat
According to Andrabi, she has stopped many young women from going to Pakistan for training in armed combat at militant camps.
Organisations which share DeM's ideology promote a homogenous culture, without the liberties and choices for women which are traditionally an integral part of the Kashmiri culture.[15] Their strict measures, such as imposition of the burqa, strengthen the patriarchal structure of Kashmiri society.[15] According to some commentators, DeM's efforts would be more effective if directed at the creation of quotas for women in Parliament, the legislative assembly and the judiciary; female representation would increase, triggering a cultural shift in gender-role expectations.[15]
Women's Self Defense Corps
In 1947, the volunteer Women's Self Defense Corps (WSDC) was founded as the female wing of the Jammu and Kashmir National Militia. The group's aim is "to train women for self-defense and to resist invaders".[21] In addition to weapons training, the group also provided a forum where women "steeped in centuries-old traditions, abysmal ignorance, poverty and superstition could discuss their issues".[22] The corps also worked at a political and cultural level for increased impact.
Cross-border collaboration
Cross-border collaborations can be traced back to the beginning of conflict between India and Pakistan. Women in both countries shared a number of issues, such as public and domestic violence, rape, human-rights abuses and inequality, and the environment created by the Kashmir conflict had a negative impact. Groups and initiatives fostering cross-border collaboration created a space for the women and an atmosphere for developing human relationships and substantive dialogue on issues like the Indo-Pakistani wars.
Women's cross-border initiatives have changed and contributed to peace between India and Pakistan. It provides opportunities for face-to-face interactions and dialogue, and has facilitated much-needed understanding between the people of both countries. Women have participated in several processes through meetings with government officials and civil-society groups, addressed concerns such as education and visas, and initiated a media exchange between the countries.[23] When only civil-society groups and government officials had the right to make decisions, groups and initiatives like this were negotiated and sustained cross-border dialogue.[23] Women's experiences and groups are an alternative, nonviolent means of negotiating an end to conflict.
Women's Bus for Peace
In 1999, 40 Indian women of different religions and political views took a 12-hour bus trip from New Delhi to Lahore which was organized by the Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA). The Women's Bus for Peace was one of many several cross-border collaborations by women from Pakistan and India.[23] The initiative began with communication, since the women had common issues and struggles. What brought them together was the need to build strategies for peace. The Women's Bus for Peace focused on the need for communication between the people of Pakistan and India.
Line of Control conference
A November 2007 conference for Pakistani and Indian women, "Connecting Women across the Line of Control (LOC)", was held in
See also
- Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir
- Pragaash band controversy
References
- ^ Kazi, Seema. Gender and Militarization in Kashmir. Oxford Islamic Studies Online. Oxford University Press. "Sordid and gruesome as the militant record of violence against Kashmiri women and civilians is, it does not compare with the scale and depth of abuse by Indian State forces for which justice has yet to be done."
- ^ Chinkin, Christine. "Rape and sexual abuse of women in international law." European Journal of International Law 5.3 (1994): 327. "women in Kashmir who have suffered rape and death under the administration of the Indian army."
- ^ Inger Skjelsbæk (2001) Sexual violence in times of war: A new challenge for peace operations?, International Peacekeeping, 8:2, 75–76 "
- ISBN 978-981-4350-95-2. Archivedfrom the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "RAPE IN KASHMIR: A Crime of War" Archived 4 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine (PDF). Asia Watch & Physicians for Human Rights A Division of Human Rights Watch. 5 (9): 6.
- ^ .
- ISBN 978-0-19-994349-4.
- ^ "The disappointing case of patriarchy and rising crimes against women". Kashmir Times. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
- ^ "Kashmir's suffocating patriarchy!". Daily Excelsior. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
- ^ Guest (2020-09-25). "Victims of Dowry in Srinagar: Five Case Studies". Kashmir Reader. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
- ^ "Patriarchal Society: Celebrate individual excellence of women". Rising Kashmir. 2020-09-07. Retrieved 2020-09-26. [dead link]
- ^ Jamwal, Anuradha Bhasin (2020-09-26). "Kashmiri Women as Stone Pelters: It Is Not Just Anti-Militarism, It". The Citizen. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
- ^ [1] Archived 2017-09-18 at the Wayback Machine Dr. Ayesha Ray "Kashmiri Women and the Politics of Identity" (paper presented to SHUR Final Conference on Human Rights and Civil Society, Rome, June 2009) at 14.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c d e f g Nyla Ali Khan (2011). "Negotiating the boundaries of gender, community and nationhood: A case study of Kashmir". Pakistan Journal of Women's Studies: Alam-e-Niswan. 18 (1): 1–13.
- ^ a b c d "Kashmir vs Women". 2010-04-23. Archived from the original on 2017-10-06. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
- ^ Inger Skjelsbæk (2001) Sexual violence in times of war: A new challenge for peace operations?, International Peacekeeping, 8:2, 75-76.
- ^ "Rape in Kashmir: A Crime of War" (PDF). Asia Watch & Physicians for Human Rights A Division of Human Rights Watch. 5 (9): 1.
- ^ Littlewood, Roland. "Military Rape". Anthropology Today, vol. 13, no. 2, 1997, pp. 7–16.
- .
- ^ Mishra, Yogesh (June 27, 2018). "Women and Resistance in Kashmir". Gender and Feminist Geographies Research Group. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ Khan, Nyla Ali (2010). Islam, Women, and Violence in Kashmir: Between India and Pakistan. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 134.
- ^ JSTOR 41394062.
- ^ Khan, Nyla Ali (2010). Islam, Women, and Violence in Kashmir: Between India and Pakistan. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 142.