Morung Express News
October 23
DIMAPUR: The Government of Nagaland has formally turned down the idea of setting up of a State Commission for Women (SCW) on the lines of the National Commission for Women (NCW) now operating at the Centre. In a one page letter dated August 22, 2005 and addressed to Dr. Girija Vyas, Chairperson, NCW, Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Department of Social Welfare & Women Development, K Sukhalu, pointed out that it was unnecessary as of now to set up the State Commission for Women on grounds that the situation prevalent in Nagaland did not immediately warrant it. According to reliable sources, DR Girija had earlier written to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on the subject of setting up an SCW for Nagaland.
According to the one page letter a copy of which was made available to The Morung Express, the government maintained that the State being predominantly tribal, women in general enjoyed a fair amount of equality with men in society and also do not suffer ‘severe disabilities and discriminations on ground of sex’. For these reasons, the government maintained that there was no need for setting up a gender vanguard system for women as the State Women Commission is. The letter went on to claim “Atrocities against women such as dowry system, child marriage and caste distinction etc as being relatively unknown in Nagaland”.
Apart from the stated grounds, the letter maintained that unique social and customary issues were involved in the Naga Society which was protected under Article 371(1) of the Constitution. The government also apprised the Chairperson of NWC that “due to acute financial constraints, the state government is not in a position to provide financial support to the Commission if constituted now.” Meanwhile, the Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights, Delhi taking cognizance of the letter expressed displeasure over the official reasons cited. “This is pretty much the predictable response of any patriarchal, self-glorifying chauvinistic society which must be seen for what it is” the NPMHR Delhi unit in a press statement through M Kikon, Convener, stated.
Terming it ‘deplorable’ that such was the official opinion of the State, the NPMHR appealed to the Naga Mothers, the women organizations and all other conscientious organizations to question whether the reasons produced by the State was still the dominant discourse on women in the Naga Society.
