Silent Frontlines: Women’s Bodies as War Canvas

In the Manipur conflict, cases of sexual violence being used as a war weapon have been reported extensively. Many articles have showcased that since the onset of violence in the state of Manipur in early May 2023, activists and scholars contend that rape and sexual assault have been systematically employed as a weapon in "revenge attacks" on women belonging to the Kuki community by Meitei mobs. What is alarming is the active role played by the Meitei women themselves as active agents in instigating this evil act. In the context of a conflict zone, women's bodies serve as the battlefield for ideological and political entities aiming to exert control and dominance over the ‘other community’. The violence perpetrated against women encompasses not just physical harm but also psychological and symbolic dimensions wherein women bodies are utilised to convey messages to the other parties of the conflict. It exemplifies power relations that regard women as objects to be exploited and used as a communicating agent, reflecting dominance rather than as individuals possessing rights and dignity.

Safety of women even within its own community have also become a significant concern. The plight of safety even after being displaced- to what should be considered as away from the “threatening-zone” and living in a “safe-zone” becomes a questionable concept. With reports of several incidents of sexual molestation against women being reported within the society, what should be considered as a safe-zone for her existence raises the uncomfortable question of women’s safety in any zone as a matter of fact. Women bear this uncertainty of their safety, of their dignity not respected even by some sections of the men of their own community. The even sadder reality which needs critical analysis is who makes the decision for these women who have been sexually assaulted within their own community. Has her consent been obtained for the actions planned to be taken up against the perpetrators? What is the community’s definition of justice for this sexually assaulted woman? Should it be via customary practices which have been applied till date? Or Should it be punishment of the perpetrator via legal system? Or Is a new institutional system required to be established for handling such incidents within the community? In a society strongly rooted in patriarchal laws, do women really have voices and spaces within their own community to challenge laws or outcomes laid out for her by men? Or is she labelled a difficult woman when she demands her rights and dignity to be respected? These are the questions which needs to be raised and discussed extensively in both formal and informal spaces.

The need to be protected at all times suffocates women as their independence to get educated, go for work and even set foot outside her house becomes a concern for her family without the presence of significant family members. When women are not safe from the hands of evils within their own society, given the rising cases of sexual assault against women, their growth to become an independent self-actualized agent becomes systematically stripped off from their very own existence. Such constraints arising out of concern for their safety and security sometimes acts as hindrance for their own development. This needs to be considered of high importance by community elders and law enhancers, who bear the responsibility of being the moral torchbearers/agents - to give women the space and the autonomy they rightfully deserve. At least within her own community, uncertainty and normalising fear of woman’s safety needs to be questioned and not compromised. It is imperative to critically examine the troubling issue of why women do not experience a sense of security within her own community, which ideally should serve as her safe haven.

(The author is a Faculty at School of Liberal Art, Woxsen University, Telangana)