Intellectuals, experts and social activists from diverse backgrounds yet working for a common cause –– improvement of the human condition –– converged at Hotel Acacia here Wednesday and deliberated on Humanitarian Norms, Gender and Child Rights Protection, identifying the problems, challenges and current approaches to the issues.
The initiative to this effect was taken by Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) in the form of a seminar on “partnering in action towards international campaign for humanitarian norms, gender and child rights protection”.
Speaking on the topic “International Humanitarian Norms”, the resource person, director, Centre for Refugee Law Studies and Research GU & president, Citizens Collective Coordinator, IIPDEP, Prof. Subhram Rajkhowa, said the policy of government of India dismissing “armed conflict” as “law and order problem” was a recourse route to prevent international intervention and the application of humanitarian laws.
“The government cannot shy away from inviting international agencies to monitor and assess conflicts,” Rajkhowa asserted, adding that “state cannot deny the due process of law to anybody.”
Rajkhowa also said that the application of humanitarian laws was not confined to war (between nations) but has a much wider scope. As per Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention, he said the humanitarian laws encompassed non-international armed conflicts and most of today’s conflicts, including those in the North East, were under this category in nature.
He also underscored the need to promote non-state actors like International Red Cross Society (IRCS) in conflict areas, saying they cannot work independently in highlighting violation of human rights. Further, the resource persons dwelt on various aspect and provisions of the Geneva and The Hague Conventions from where oppressed movements could draw recourse.
‘Naga society at the crossroads’: Expounding on “gender prerogative-respecting women”, Kohima Science College principal, Dr. Anungla Aier, remarked that Naga society was at the crossroads of tradition and modernity and there was a need to re-examine the cultural precondition of stringent patriarchal values.
Gender issue, she said, remained one of the most critical but least understood in Naga society.
She articulated that despite ‘gender’ being a neutral term, the narrative was confined and revolved around the female sex as inequality and imbalance of power was deeply embedded in the social, economic and political structure of the society, calling for re-examining the gender equation from a ‘human rights view’, not traditional.
Dr. Anungla also pointed out various forms of gender discrimination in the Naga customary practices.
The key challenge to secure women’s rights, Dr. Anungla said was to break down the structural obstacles build around the traditional practices, which she maintained could be done with active participation of men and through creation of an enabling environment in the Naga society.
‘Our homes unsafe for children’
Prodigals’ Home Dimapur director, K. Ela, stated that children were not living in a safe society with many children running away from home to avoid sexual abuse and violence.
Speaking on “child rights protection”, Ela questioned why children needed protection from adults when adults were supposed to protect them.
She attributed lack of political will, inadequate budgeting for children, broken homes, bad parenting, weak support system, ignorance, slow justice delivery system and substance abuse among others to creating an unsafe environment for children.
Further, Ela termed as “biggest shame in the Naga society” the illegal practice of “child domestic worker” in Nagaland. She said that such practice not only exploited the child’s labour but deprived the child’s rights, future, opportunities and even identity.
She questioned the participants why a child had to be trafficked in the name of education by uprooting the child from his family only to be sent to government school that did not function.
The child rights activist suggested the student bodies to have a system in place to concentrate on child rights.
‘Let world know Nagas love peace’
In his keynote address, Dr. Longri, MLA, recounted the history of human rights movement in Nagaland and appealed to the Naga Political Groups (NPGs) to extend cooperation. “Let’s join this movement, let’s contribute and let the world know that we Nagas love peace,” he said.
MLA pointed out that GPRN/NSCN has signed and affirmed not to use anti-personnel landmine, to stop violence against women during conflict and against recruitment of children below 18 years while NSCN (I-M) was yet to sign against recruitment of children below 18 years.
The seminar was chaired by secretary general NPMHR, Neingulo Krome, while welcome address was delivered by Naga Hoho assembly secretary, E. Elu Ndang.
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