Deewanshi Vats

B.A.(H)Philosophy
II Year

Women in Kashmir
Being a woman living hundreds of miles away from my home has always been a concern for
my family even though I am someone who has been raised with all the means of
communication, privileges and urban luxuries but just imagining the situation for those
women who are living distantly with no means to voice their opinions or not having their
basic demands meet, give me chills. It is to be given a thought about ones who are detached
and have become unapproachable and more importantly unserviceable by society as a
whole.Though Michelle Obama keeps saying that there is ‘no limit to what women can
achieve in this world’ it ironically contradicts with what's happening in major part of the
developing nations where women have to struggle through infinite numbers of social
economical and financial barriers to get their basic ends meet, the subjugation is so much and
still half of the world is unaware of the atrocities they face.
During summers last year I took a trip to Kashmir to spend some leisure time in the valley
but even if you go there all touristy you cannot ignore the complicated truth behind its
normality.Its colossal snow clad ranges and towering meadows of pine and fir failed to block
the air of tensions that erupted in the region.Amidst all this it is the women of Kashmir who
bear the heaviest load of the clashes which are followed by the despotic lockdowns.They face
rape, harassments and discrimination of all sorts, they are the ones who are the biggest
victims of inhuman siege. Many women are forced to give birth in their homes because there
is no access to health centres and hospitals, going for schools and colleges is a task and
struggle itself which many of us cannot even imagine ,they are petrified to step out alone
without a male companion as they fear that they will be harassed. The distress is appalling
and dreadful.It can be well traced in history that the woman’s body has always been the
highest sufferer in the times of political and social adversities, it not only happened during
world wars and partition, it is also happening in the ongoing crisis.According to the reports of
Jammu and Kashmir PoliceSrinagar saw the highest number of crimes against women in
2018 where around 500 cases were reported in which 266 cases were of molestation, 127
cases of kidnapping and abduction ,51 cases of cruelty and 18 cases were of rape.
Mind you these were the cases that were ‘REPORTED’ and we almost have negligible
knowledge about the crimes where the victim was incompetent to speak or complain and this
those violations went absolutely unreported.
Decades ago women of Kashmir were mostly relegated to the households but some access to
education has created the new class of liberated women in Kashmir that have been monetarily
independent and have some degree of empowerment but this mainly goes in vain due to high
concentration of Indian military personnel in the region which becomes caustic and
predacious hindrance in the daily lives of these women leading to incessant fear and stigmas
in their minds. Women have lost their husbands, brothers and sons some of whom were
killed and some who never returned! All of this have taken its toll on women in all

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aspects ,whether it is in affecting their rights to basic amenities or the larger right to a life
with dignity, free from fear for their safety and fear of violence.
However standing out against all odds Kashmiri women have always shown resistance in
form of rebel groups , marches and prolonged protests by pregnant and unwell women who
have been denied access to health centres because of the curfew imposed by the state and to
demand justice for the crimes that were committed against them.
What is needed at this hour when these women face countless hurdles and human rights
abuses is the hand of solidarity ,empathy and inclusivity which mainland India chiefly
neglects or simply forgets to give!

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