BODY POLITICS AND GENDER VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN MANIPUR’S CONFLICT: A MISSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

Abstract

In times of conflicts and wars, sexual and gender-based violence has been used frequently and is typically viewed as an inevitable evil of war. Armed conflict, insurgency, civil war, and interethnic struggle all have terrible repercussions on the entire community, but women and children are disproportionately affected because of their precarious socioeconomic positions. Manipur in the Northeast India is also commonly known as the replica of India, has been time and again witnessed ethnic conflicts, wars, and violence, sometimes perpetrated by the security forces who are the guardians of the country. Due to the pending political issues in the region between various insurgent groups, the government of India has imposed the draconian AFSPA, which has become a tool to terrorize the innocent people, particularly women. Be it the ethnic conflict between two warring communities or the action of the AFSPA, it is always the women who suffer the most. Women’s bodies became a site of violence to discipline the community and to shame and degrade the dignity of the males of a particular community during ethnic conflicts. The most recent incident in Manipur's conflict has seen many such incidents, and in particular, where two women were paraded naked and sexually assaulted by the opposing community. This study explores the root cause behind why women's bodies were used as a site of violence during wars and conflicts. It draws the fact that the patriarchal setup and body politics were at play in Manipur society. To address such a menace in society, the study endorsed solidarity and collective resistance from the Christian missiological perspectives.