MIRPUR (AJK): Speakers at a webinar held here on the occasion of International Women’s Day while voicing their grave concerns over the plight of Kashmiri women said that the Indian state was using violence against women as an instrument to suppress their political aspirations.
The webinar titled, “Violence against women: A case study of Indian administered Kashmir” was jointly organized by the KIIR and IMWU on the sidelines of 49 session of UNHRC, Geneva.
The well-attended webinar was addressed by prominent rights activists, academicians, and international law experts hailing from different parts of the world including former senator Ms. Lee Rhiannon from Australia, former EU parliamentarian Ms. Julie Ward, Barrister Margaret Own Chairperson Widows for peace through Democracy and Human Rights activist from the UK, Dr. Madeleine Scherb, Cellia Jastrzembska senior policy advisor in the UK government, Giulia Ferreira Delgado Human Rights expert, Marianna Zucaa HR activist from Italy, Barrister Nida Salam, Tazeen Hassan, Dr. Raheel Qazi chairperson IMWU, Dr. Saira Shah, Mrs Shamim Shawl, Prof. Dr. Shagufta and others.
The event was moderated by Chairman Kashmir Institute of International Relations Altaf Hussain Wani.
KIIR chairman that violence against women in the Indian occupied Kashmir was being used as a weapon of war by the Indian state to suppress Kashmiris’ legitimate political struggle for the right to self-determination.
He said that the protected conflict has had a devastating impact on the lives of Kashmiri women, who he said have suffered the brunt of the Indian state terrorism since 1989.
“The long-drawn conflict has hit the Kashmiri women in every aspect”, he said adding that the Kashmiri women have been on the edge of state-sponsored violence for the past several decades.
The panelists observed that sexual violence being leveraged as a weapon of war by the Indian forces in the region has been grossly overlooked at the international level. They said that prolonged Indian military occupation, massive troop build-up, and sprawling military camps stretched across cities, towns and villages had created a fertile ground for violence against the women.
Citing the violent incidents recorded against women in the Indian occupied Kashmir, the speakers said, “Hundreds of incidents of violence directed against women ranging from physical, psychological, emotional, sexual abuse, gang-rape and torture have been reported during the past 30 years”.
They regrettably noted that the Indian government has failed to bring to justice the culprits who have been involved in gang-rape of helpless women at Kunan and Poshpora villages.
They said that despite the passage of several decades justice continues to elude Kunanposhpora rape victims. “The Indian judiciary, which acts on the whims and fancies of the BJP government has miserably failed to provide justice to the victims of the state terrorism”, they said adding that the mass-rape of scores of women in Kunan Poshpora village in 1991, rape and murder case of Shopian, and Islamabad (Annantnag) serves as the most shocking examples of the Indian state terrorism.
Many of them have been widowed, displaced, molested, gang-raped, and even brutally tortured, harassed and humiliated in jails and interrogation centers”, the panelists said adding that majority of Kashmiri women have lost their kith and kin during the ongoing conflict.
Pertinently, the rights groups engaged in documenting enforced disappearances in Kashmir since 1989 have revealed that more than 10,000 people have disappeared in Kashmir as a result of violence.
The irony of Kashmiri Half-widows, they said was yet another highly disconcerting aspect of the continued conflict that has given rise to a category of women known as “half-widows” whose number, they said, has swelled to over thousands during the recent years.
Declaring the systematic campaign of sexual harassment against women as a serious crime, the panelists demanded an independent investigation into the gruesome incidents of sexual violence under a credible international probe agency.
They urged the international community to take stock of the situation in the disputed territory and play its due role in holding the Indian government accountable for the crimes its forces have been committing against the Kashmiris.