2012 : A year to remember for Manipuri Women

Ningthoujam Suraj *

AK Mirabai lights the inaugural candle at the International Women's Day 2011 & Women Expo-2011
Pix - Hueiyen Lanpao (Read a news about this here )

As we leave 2012 behind & welcome 2013, on the way experiencing 21/12/2012 as a non-incident, it would be good to review the year gone by in the light of how much society has accepted women as equal partner. As a matter of fact, 2012 could be reminiscence as the year of 'Womenhood' for the sole reason that some of the major highlights of this year have come from the participation of women in different walks of life.

Eclectic Northeast, a Magazine published for North East India published a list of 25 Most Influential Icons. The list includes four names from Manipur - MC Mary Kom, Binalakshmi Nepram, Irom Sharmila and Dr. Kh Palin. A simple look at how other states look at ours in this manner indicates the importance of women. The above personalities have given us Manipuris much to cheer about & be proud of. They have become not just National but International icons. They define Manipur positively.

Yet Manipur is still not a safe oasis for women since the social outlook has changed a little. According to the Census-2011, Sex Ratio at 987 is credible yet Child Sex Ratio (age group 0-6) has declined to 934 from 974 (1991 census) and 952(2001 census).

The world normal child ratio is 950. This figure of 934 is a record low & is attributed to usage of Pre-natal Diagnostic Technique (PNDT) to abort girl child, thus, implying improper implementation of PC& PNDT Act in the state. This piece of information can be used to motivate focused implementation of proper actions to encourage a girl child.

From what we have seen in the past year, Manipuri women have shown us they can achieve what Manipuri men can & artists like Tonthoi received the Rajat Kamal award for Best Supporting Actress at the 59th National Film Awards.

Sportspersons like Yumnam Ongbi Mamota clinched the bronze medal in below 50 kg category Body Building and Physique Sports Federation (WBPF) at Bangkok, Thailand recently. In 2012, we had many women getting selected to UPSC and even topping the MPSC exam with almost 35-40% of the MPSC selected candidates being fairer sex. It is thus time for people to become aware of the closing gap & lessen crimes against them.

An NGO-Women Action for Development (WAD) reported 251 cases of violence against women in the state between January and October this year- 21 rape cases, four rapes with murders, 16 murders, 78 trafficking cases, seven molestations, one immolation, 41 brutal physical assaults, four abductions, 56 missing cases, three abandonments and two cases of intimidation.

What's disturbing is there may be probably many more unaccounted cases of crime against women which were not reported in the media. Of those reported cases, the most recent one was the Chandel molestation incident of an actress. Apart from these, we have the banning of Miss Manipur 2012 by sixteen women's civil organizations for which equal measure of support or otherwise were received from both genders.

Are we so much different from New Delhi where sex discrimination & male preference is rampant?

Consistent writing on this topic to eliminate gender based disrespect may not reach the intended people, yet those who read must surely forward the message. Short term prohibitive penal solutions must be complemented with long term mindset-broadening social planning.

We would like to believe that the process has begun with beacons like Mary Kom & Irom Sharmila showing the way in 2012.

Apart from our imas & ibels, who have been at the forefront for long, the new women bureaucrats selected by the MPSC can bring in a fresh boost of input & initiatives & ideas & lastly the role of Mirabai, Landhoni & Nemcha Kipgen- the three elected women candidates to the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly will be critical in 2013.

So, hopefully by the time we have to bid adieus to 2013, Manipur will have many more new female heroes & icons.