Injustices Against Women

Kashmiri women are facing the worst ever rights abuses at the hands of Indian security forces and state machinery. Rape or molestation which is painful for one and all , the police men and troopers continue to pursue old strategy in order to break the freedom will of Kashmiris psychologically.

The sexual violence has been routinely perpetuated on Kashmiri women, with 11.6 percent prevalence of the same in Kashmir. Ironically, the figure is higher than that of Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Chechnya, which was reported by a study conducted by Medecins Sans Frontiers in mid-2005.

Some non-governmental organisations put the figure of rape and molestation cases to 9,894 from January 1989 to November 2008. The factual figure goes higher as many such cases remain unreported due to the social stigma and reprisal of authority sponsored agencies. For those cases, that are reported, most of them are not brought to any logical conclusion, giving an air to the crime. This stands well indicated by chain of inhuman incidents that have occurred from time to time against women of Kashmir.

There is endless list where Indian troopers and army personnel have resorted to rape in Jammu and Kashmir. Chanapora, Kunanposhpora, Handwara, Bandipore, Banihal, Doda, Budsam and Shopian are some of the examples which were reported and published in the media. How many were raped and molested? The list is endless.

The mass rape incident of Kunan Poshpora, wherein the Indian soldiers of 4^th Rajputana Rifles (Rajput Rifles) raped 32 women including aged, young, married and unmarried after herding the men out of the village of Kunanposhpora on the night of February 23, 1991 is the most heinous amongst such acts in Kashmir. Till date the culprits of the crime have not been punished.  A survivor at Kunan Poshpora has not looked into the mirror ever since she was gang raped. “Looking into the mirror reminds me of the horror of that dreadful night.”

There are many women and girls who have been victims of violence, directly or indirectly. These interminable miseries of women have put them to tremendous psychological pressure. With every bullet or teargas shell that shot in valley and with every bomb blast, a woman lost her brother, husband, son or father. These adverse conditions have not only given rise to various psychological disorders in them but have driven them to drug abuse.

According to the research report in 1989, about 1,700 patients visited the valley’s lone psychiatric hospital and by the year 2003, the number had gone up to 48,000, which constitute almost 50 percent of women. The report reveals the prevalence of posttraumatic disorder, followed by major depressive disorder (MDO) amongst women. The other mental diseases like bipolar disorder, panic, phobia; general anxiety and sleep disorders are also found.

Psychiatric diseases like bipolar disorder, panic, phobia, general anxiety and sleep disorders have shown existence amongst the women in Kashmir besides post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which tops all. These psychiatric disorders have motivated women to switch to psychoactive substances. The problem is more urban than rural though a good percentage of women in rural areas are addicted to locally grown cannabis and tobacco. Around 1.5 percent of women in Kashmir are addicted to opiates alone the highest in the world.