Expressing anguish and concern at the increasing incidents of crime against women in the state, Naga Women Hoho Dimapur president Hukheli Wotsa on Saturday said the government has not been able to solve or control several rape cases despite Naga mothers raising unequivocal voice against such transgressions.
Speaking at the one-day seminar on women leadership organised by Naga People’s Front (NPF), women wing, Dimapur division at PWD division office, Hukheli said “Law is our defence mechanism, our protector, our umbrella; we appreciate law and we should see to it that law is being practiced honestly. If law is practiced honestly we will be able to stop rape cases.”
Hukheli said rapists get eight years minimum sentence elsewhere in the country but in Nagaland one can hardly hear anyone getting convicted and sent to prisons. She urged the womenfolk present on the occasion to ponder as to how and why rapists are not punished in Nagaland.
“Just as doctors diagnose a patient’s disease and give medicine, until and unless we know what ails the system of law in Nagaland, we mothers will never be able to eliminate or control rape cases in Nagaland,” she said.
She said one of the main reasons why, issues such as kidnapping, extortion, child trafficking, prostitution are taking place in the state was because of “money”.
Hukheli added that the society should educate women on earning their livelihood and managing the economy from within the confines of their homes. According to her “money” is the main reason behind the rise of prostitution in Nagaland.
Hukheli also reiterated that Naga Women Hoho restricted girls from wearing short and skimpy cloths because of numerous complaints received not only from men but also women. She also justified the reason why Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) insisted on registering identity of girls who have been recruited for jobs in cities outside the state.
She said there were reports of Naga girls indulging in flesh trade in Bangalore and Guwahati. When NMA tried to procure the details of the girls, their family members protected them. The family should retrospect as to what went wrong and try to solve the problem, said she.
Emphasizing on the role of mothers, Hukheli said that they should be able to check child trafficking in the neighbourhood and be the agents of change and should play a vital role in the society. “Naga mothers are the ones suffering in pain due to kidnapping, prostitution and rape cases in the society.
At this rate even if a mother is to live for 80 years, she will live only for 60 years,” she said while expressing concern over the spate of child kidnapping in Dimapur.
Hukheli said foreign cultural influences too are impacting the youth in the state. She cited the example of how Korean films have contributed to the creation of “gangster” culture among young and impressionable students. This trend posed a serious concern for women in the society, said she.
Lauding the NPF women wing for conducting the seminar on social concern, Hukheli challenged the women wing to uplift the women in the society and support reservation so that it will be implemented soon.
Dimapur municipal council advisor Tokheli Kikon had a different opinion about women’s reservation. She said she was not impressed by the idea of women’s reservation. She rather advocated the view that women should compete with men.
Tokelau exhorted those present to stop talking about reservation and show their worth in action. “Toil hard and show the society what you are capable of and in due course of time reservation will come by itself,” she said.
During the second session, NPF general secretary Visevonuo said women in politics should not only aim to win electoral battles but also seriously take up issues related to family welfare, education, teaching vocational courses etc.
She opined that if women wanted their issues to be taken seriously by the government, more women should contest the Assembly elections.
The programme was chaired by NPF women wing president Kerie Pfukha in the first session and general secretary Vepra Nyekha in the second session. Women wing representatives from Ghaspani-I and II, Dimapur 1, 11 and 111 attended the daylong seminar.
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