The recent viral videos of forced marriage and its connotation
As much as the socio, economic, and political liberation movement is important- Manipur women's uprising is equally necessary to equally take the lead in shaping a just and progressive society
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History has recorded the three waves of the feminist movement which has brought significant changes in the status of women across the world. Women's role has changed at an accelerating rate in many fields. With that, assorted prestigious positions are now held by women. With these changing norms across the Country- the nuances that reflect the status of Manipur's women need more in-depth comprehension. There are ample narratives of the experiences of multiple forms of gender-based atrocities by our women under the Indian militarization of AFSPA 1958. Besides, the cases of Domestic violence also spiked in the last two years of the Pandemic. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) reflects the stark reality of domestic violence in Manipur which was reported (39.6) of domestic violence cases. The report also stated the largest under-reporting occurred in Bihar, Karnataka, and Manipur, where the prevalence of domestic violence is around 40%, while reporting is less than 8%. Such is the reality that deepened the sense of victimization and helplessness of the women of Manipur and brought both physical and psychological insecurity. Across the larger worldviews, many problems such as forced marriage, domestic violence, sex-selective abortion, female infanticide, female control, repression of different forms are still prevalent. In addition, women‘s oppression was, and in many instances still is, seen as a universal experience—that all women experience the influence of patriarchy in the same way or the other. In most instances, the existence of gender-based injustice does not thrust people to act collectively to seek its end. Social movement mobilization occurs when people feel both aggrieved about some aspect of their lives and optimistic that collective movement can be inculcated. Social movements and mass reactions to injustice are instrumental in constructing people’s understandings of injustice and beliefs in the efficacy of collective action. There is a necessity to provoke the collective consciousness of the masses on the recent incidents of forced marriage of a Manipuri girl that went around in social media.
The Incidents:
In a rather bizarre incident of a forceful marriage in Manipur that went around on the internet- condemnations from all sections have come to the fore. In the viral video that is no less than an unduly distressing plot- a group of women and a groom compelled the alleged bride to garland the groom while in her state of unconscious. Earlier, a video of the same bride ripped apart the garland in an act to express her variance to that marriage, but later another video circulated where the bride was seen unconscious while the marriage proceed.
The unnatural incident reportedly happened at the residence of the bride on 10th December, Luwangshangbam Makha Leikai, and the groom is reportedly from Keirang Maning Leikai. The viral video that depicts a forceful marriage started circulating on 11th December on social media- not just forced but an enactment of coercive threatening behavior of making the women completely unconscious to complete the marriage process.
The need to react:
In defiance of the act, Mingsel Foundation wrote "We do not know the whole story, but you do not need to know the story to raise your voice. The very act speaks for itself. A forceful completion of the marriage rituals in a state of the unconscious of the women is an act of transgression", "The concerns authority needs to intervene". Eta Nort-East womens' Network has sent a letter to Manipur State Commission for Women, Manipur Human Rights Commission, and Director-General of police, Manipur to investigate the matter urgently, while many individuals also pour in the condemnation of the inhuman act- "My heart aches at the thought of what the girl has had to go through. Shame on the elders who let this happen. Shame on the guy for having no balls to stand up against this nonsense. The very meaning of what marriage is has been made a joke out of with this incident. Truly shameful" said a social media user @Captain_wanders.
Meanwhile, a close source from the incident informed us that, the bride has been absconding to avoid the marriage after she was snared into an elopement. In antagonism to the forceful arrangement of the marriage- the bride has even attempted suicide, said the source. The extent of injustice to the bride is unthinkable. What makes our society degrades to such extends is a matter of concern for a society that always glorifies the status of women.
The resulting factors are the societal norms and the entrenched internalized patriarchal culture that always normalized victimizing women until the perpetrators perpetrate to such extent. Even at such many are luring the incidents as "private matters" of a couple with many pre and post narratives concatenating to normalize such a heinous crime. The issue here is not their personal stories- it is the visual manifestation of a criminal offense being maneuvered to an unconscious woman. Legally, forced marriage is a violation of human rights and a form of gender violence that involves mental abuse, emotional blackmail, and coercion from either the family or society. The incident that is circulating is much more than a forceful marriage. It is an act of complete exertion of inhuman nature that exhibits a similar kind of abduction or an attempt to slay if resist from what has been imposed kind of attribution toward a helpless woman. The woman who garlands the groom while the bride was in an unconscious state and its supporter in the video says; "Hit at her face, She cannot win''- are of the internalized patriarchal predators commonly found in every household, ready to attack whenever a women let their guard down. There is a need to recognize the cultural saboteur whose attribution is to cut the wings before a women step out of the nest. The conditioning of the culture we live in has cruel masculine power that kills everything that's liberating, artistic, creative, and feminine. The voice that normalizes such an inhumane act comes out of the injured animus that is prone to discourage others or the self live their absurdest dreams.
Women’s experience of force often does not end with the pressure to marry. Many women are also subjected to different forms of force within the context of their marriage. This can range from emotional, psychological, and financial abuse to sexual and physical violence.
Many intellectuals argued that the status of women in Manipur is relatively high, as compared to other places. Historically, they argued, women of Manipur were able to pursue a constructive influence on social processes. Women challenged the colonial state in political struggles and agitations known as the first Nupi Lal (‘Women’s Agitation’ or ‘Women’s Uprising) of 1904 and the second Nupi Lal of 1939 (Singh 2011). According to Manipuri historians, women activists were thus recognized as a powerful political force. No doubt that Manipur is known for the struggles of women against atrocities and women’s agitation for constructive social change. The efforts of these women are highly valued, further enhancing the status of women, and reinforcing the role of women as keepers and passers on of tradition to the coming generations. Histories of women’s relentless sacrifice were inherited as a constant inspirational source to women to counter authoritarian rule designed under the aegis of Indian colonial legislation. In memory of this history and the current endeavor of young activists-theres' a gap. If our women are upheld as courageous since time immemorial then, why is the contemporary condition of our Manipuri women so deplorable? There is a need to shift the paradigm of the whole context- the need to re-assert the self-actualization for a just and equitable representation.
We need to critically re-analyze the memories that are produced in dominant discourse on how to perceive the certain realities of multi-ethnic, multi-diverse gender-fluid identities. The emerging states in the region have assiduously favored the historical imagination of a politically dominant gender/community, which is masculine and remains persistently insensitive to the marginal "others" in the state. As much as the socio, economic, and political liberation movement is important- Manipur women's uprising is equally necessary to equally take the lead in shaping a just and progressive society.
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