International Women’s Day like any other day in IOK

International Women's Day observed on March 08, 2010 the world over passed like any other day in the Indian occupied Kashmir where women have been the worst sufferers of human rights violations and other abuses both psychological and physical. Ever since the advent of Kashmir liberation struggle in 1989 women have been the target of atrocities of all kinds which directly affected their existential well being and rightful place in home and society.

The murderous assault by Indian forces against innocent people of Kashmir have resulted in about a lac of assassinations besides countless damage to private properties. The women in Kashmir were not directly involved in the conflict but they have been the immediate affectees of military  operations which claimed the life of the sole bread earner of the family, a father, son, brothers and even parents. Women were the ones who bore the brunt of losses in lives and properties. They were used as weapons of war by the occupation troops to strike terror. Instances of rapes and gang rapes have been quite frequent. A recent case of rape of two young girls by Indian troops at Shopian and their subsequent murder by them to shield the crime jolted the whole valley. Subsequently the fudging of inquiry by India's premier investigation agency, CBI further aggravated the grin atmosphere that prevails in the occupied territory as far as rights of women are concerned. Earlier many heinous crimes committed by the forces amply prove wilful desecration of women to frighten the Kashmiris away from the liberation struggle. There is a long chain of events in which the Indian troops resorted to rape. The ghastly event involving drunken and unruly troops indulging in gang rape at the village Kunanpashpora of 32 Kashmiri women on the night of February 23, 1991 is still fresh in the memory of the people. Apart from suffering molestation women are afflicted with tragic existence for the whole of life after having lost their husbands. She is forced to live a life of deprivation and penury, as there is no organisation or government agency that could provide support to these unfortunate women. They are forced to take up menial jobs to meet household expenses and bring up their orphaned children. There are numberless aged mothers who are still waiting for the return of their young sons who were whisked away from their homes in the dead of night by the troops but who have not yet come back after the lapse of several years. The forced disappearances of around ten thousand persons has rendered thousands of women half-widows and thousands of children half -orphaned and left numberless mother wailing and crying. Women in Kashmir have been victims of military violence directly or indirectly for having lost a husband, father, brother or a son. Under financial and other constraints women are suffering from psychological disorders on a massive scale. The observance of International Women's Day has brought about no change in the life of the deprived women of Kashmir. They don't even remember this day. The only day they painfully and vividly remember is the one when they lost their father, son or husband.