NE women's meet in city from tomorrow

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Aug 22: The Control Arms Foundation of India, Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network and Northeast India Woman Initiative for Peace are going to organize a two-day Northeast India Women Peace Congregation on August 24 and 25 at Shrimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati.

Addressing a press conference here today, Bilakshmi Nempram, secretary general of Control Arms Foundation of India, said that the aim of this congregation is to ensure women from Northeast India develop a blueprint for collective peace in the region.

She said that Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal would attend the event as the chief guest.

Nempram said that Assam recorded the highest crime rate against women, 62.1% as compared to the tiol rate 20.5%, from 2005 to 2014.

“Nearly 70,000 cases of crime against women were registered from 2005-2014 in Assam. Rape as well as social evils such as dowry and witch-hunting had claimed the lives of as many as 1,589 women in a decade. While a total of 78 women died due to rape, 1,388 others were killed in dowry related cases,” she said.

She said that Tripura reported 1,554 crime cases against woman in 2014.

“Over the years figures of crime against women in Meghalaya are on the rise, indicating that in 2014 there were over 606 cases of crime against women, including 118 rape cases. 348 cases were committed against woman in Manipur that year while in Aruchal Pradesh the number is 434. While Mizoram recorded 494 cases, 100 cases were registered in galand,” she said.   

The press meet was also addressed by Shaheen Hussain, Indrani Deb and Ree Mutuni.