Opinion Forum

The decade long Maoist insurgency concluded formally with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in November 2006 and Maoists gained the leading role of the government but the wounds of insurgency are yet to be healed. Women, who were the most affected section in the insurgency, are yet to get peace dividends due to rigid patriarchal structure and apathy of the political parties to address their demands.

Women suffered a lot during the decade long armed insurgency. Women had taken part in the war activities from the side of the state and Maoist rebels. The plights of women and girls were more severe than that of their male counterparts due to gender specific violence and inequalities exacerbated by the conflict. Rape, sexual abuse, and torture by both warring sides were widespread. Sexual violence was used as a tool to punish women for their alleged connection with either side of the conflict. A research report entitled ‘Janayuddha ko Serofero bhitra Mahila ra Balbalika’ (Women and Girls in the periphery of the People’s War) carried out by IHIRICON said that Devi Khadka, Lali Roka, Kamala Bhatta, Nirmala Pun, Sunsara Buda and other three women who were arrested from Irlung area of Lalitpur were raped before being murdered. The report further said that some of the victims of rape had joined the Maoists after their release. Laxmi Shahi and Laxmi Rijal of Dailekh were murdered after rape by then Royal Nepalese Army on charge of being Maoist supporters. These are just a few examples while there are certainly more unreported cases of sexual abuses.

Of the total 13,344 people killed during the period of Maoist insurgency 10,297 were men and 1,013 were women while the gender of 2,034 people were not verified as they were killed during the clashes and they were buried or taken by the conflicting parties in an attempt to hide the identity of the deceased persons. Of the total 1,013 women killed during the period 193 were killed by the Maoists while others were killed at the hands of the state security forces.

Similarly, of the 84,969 people abducted during the period of Maoist insurgency 2,087 were women, while identity of 69,403 people abducted during the period was not known. The discrimination faced by women exacerbated due to the conflict. Women had to take care of the children and family matters as men and young people had left the villages due to the fear of being caught in the conflict between state security forces and Maoists. Women were also forced to take up the work that was traditionally restricted to men like ploughing the land and performing funeral procession. According to IHRICON the number of households headed by single women as a result of the enforced or voluntary displacement of men caused by the conflict, or the phenomenon known as “conflict wives” referring to women marrying soldiers deployed in a certain area and then abandoned to their fate when these soldiers were moved to another area of the country was on rise during the period of conflict. This phenomenon was particularly important in the places where there were military barracks and it especially affected teenagers, generating situations where these women were abandoned and stigmatised. Mothers faced particular hardship. As men and young people migrated out of the country to avoid the conflict and seek opportunities abroad, married women were left behind to take care for children and the elderly, creating a heavy burden of responsibility.

The IHIRICON research report said during 1997-98, there was no man in Mirul VDC of Rolpa because the police activities generated fear among the villagers that they might be attacked by police in the name of being involved in the Maoist activities. Only women were elected in the election of the local bodies as men not only Maoist supporters but also cadres of other political parties could not enter into the area for filing nominations. Maoists murdered chairperson of Women Empowerment Forum Devisara Chand on charge of spying against their party. Similarly, Maoists murdered Durga Rana, who was affiliated with local Everest Club, on charge of trying to marry with a soldier. Prativa Rijal, 34, of Lung VDC-5, who was kept at the labour camp by Maoists, said that she had to suffer various problems / diseases due to the torture inflicted by Maoists during their captivity. Madhudevi Buda, 30, of Jogbudha VDC-4, Gajeligadha has been suffering from mental illness after her husband was shot dead in front of her eyes on 17 August 2004 and was sexually abused. Similarly, Ganga Devi Khadka of Jogbudha VDC-6 has been suffering from mental problem due to the beating of security personnel during insurgency.

Women suffered as conflict victims, they performed as women combatants and also performed the role of household heads. Women actively participated in the People’s War. It was estimated that the women combatants in Maoist force consisted of 40 percent of the total combatants. Based on the 2003 National Women’s Commission’s report, women accounted for around 33 percent of the Maoist militia in some districts, while the figure is as high as 50 percent in “the most highly mobilized Maoist districts.” However, according to the United Nations Mission in Nepal, of the 19,602 people making up the PLA, 3,846 are women, that is, approximately 20% of the combatants. If the data published in the report of National Women Commission are correct most of the women deployed as Maoist combatants are not eligible for the job. Apart from facing the problems like lack of security of life and property, violation of human rights, internal displacement, forced migration & unsafe migration, encroachment of land and household by the conflicting parties, unemployment and use of landmines, women have to face gender specific violence and inequalities. With increasingly insecure food supply, women and girls’ health was threatened by inequitable food distribution resulting in malnutrition and severe anemia. Girls’ educational opportunities, already less than those of boys, further diminished because of the need for girls to enter the workforce in order to support the family as most of the men had left the villages. Girls with little education and no skills were often forced into exploitative jobs.

Though the awareness level about their rights increased among people of marginalized communities during the Maoist insurgency, violations of women’s rights continued as well from both the warring sides. Rape, sexual abuse, and torture by both warring sides were widespread at that time. Sexual violence was used as a tool to punish women for their alleged connection with either side of the conflict. Women, impregnated with children conceived in rape, had little recourse to abortion.

The trauma of sexual violence, forceful eviction of women from their homes, beating, torture and arbitrary detention among others faced by widows and orphans has been terrible during this phase. To date, there has been no accountability for the thousands of crimes of sexual violence or other appalling human rights abuses committed during the Maoist war in Nepal. Violent activities are going on in Tarai region making the situation worse. Special measures should be taken even during the period of conflict to keep women and other vulnerable groups out of the adverse impact of the conflict and to minimize the risk of conflict to them.

Proper understanding of conflict actors, structures, issues and conditions is central aspect of conflict resolution. As women have suffered a lot during the period of conflict, addressing the problems being faced by women and healing their wounds is a pre-requisite for sustainable peace. However, the peace process of Nepal has routinely failed to include women and to deal with gender issues, which can result in gender-based persecution and violence being rendered trivial and invisible in peace agreements not taken into account in interpretation and implementation of the agreements. If the leaders and stakeholders are committed to sustainable security and peace, the women must be empowered politically and economically and should be represented adequately at all levels of decision making.

Pratibedan Baidya