Security issues faced by women during the conflict in Nepal
Publish date: 28 Nov 02
Security issues faced by women during the conflict in Nepal
Shobha Gautam
Case Studies
Earlier this year a woman died giving birth inside a cave in Sindhupalchok district, Nepal. Before giving birth she was bleeding heavily. Seeing this, the people present went to some specialist women’s health institutions in Kathmandu and asked them to come and help the woman. However, the woman had been named as a Maoist by the government and consequently the health workers refused to go and help her because of fear of government reprisal. The woman died.
Three months ago in Kalikot district, two female teachers were gang raped by members of the security forces. The government claimed that the two women were Maoists forcing them to resign. Now they are social outcasts as a result of the rape.
Since the government declared state of emergency in November 2001, the security forces have conducted numerous body searches on women travelling by bus. There have been reports that those women who refuse are forced to stand naked inside the army barracks for a number of hours.
Background
The Maoist movement has been operational in Nepal for almost 7 years. Within this period, more than 7,000 Nepali have lost their lives and thousands of people have been internally displaced or are homeless. Thousands of children are leaving school and getting involved in risky activities in order to survive.
The government commonly assumes that all members of a community in Maoist controlled areas support the Maoists and consequently punish them by stopping the provision of all basic services. As women and children form the majority of village populations, they bear the brunt of these policies.
At this time in Nepal many women who the government has charged with being Maoists are leaving their villages and going to the jungle. As a result these women are excluded from all basic services such as health care, food, shelter and education. These women are not free to travel to hospital for treatment and health workers do not visit them.
The security forces also employ direct measures that specifically target women and children. For example, security forces often use village schools for shelter and consequently schools have become a target for Maoist attacks. A large majority of teachers and health workers are therefore migrating to district headquarters to avoid attacks from the Maoists and therefore many schools outside the district headquarters have had to be closed.
There have also been many reports of members of the security forces going to villages associated with the Maoists and gang raping and physically cutting the women on their legs and arms before parading them in the village as a warning to other women.
The Maoists also target villagers. They go to the villages and demand donations, as well as food and shelter. If anyone refuses, they are arrested, tortured and sometimes killed. Such individuals are often reported to have been informers. If women refuse the Maoists demands, their husbands are often tortured in front of them. The Maoists also loot personal property from their homes. The options for the villagers are therefore limited; they must fully support the Maoists, leave the village or be ready to die. It is this reality which lends itself to government-thinking that all people remaining in the villages are Maoists and is used to justify the withdrawal of basic services.
Causes of conflict
The Maoist insurgency began as a result of government suppression, torture and fear. In the first general elections that took place in 1991, the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) won the elections in the whole of Rolpa district in the Mid-Western development region of Nepal. They assumed that this would give them some powers but the government used various methods such as suppression, torture, arrest and detention to restrict their powers. The Maoists cadres therefore became disillusioned with the new ‘democracy.’ Consequently they demanded weapons from their leaders to fight the government and realise the communist ideal.
It was during this period that the police began using the sexual abuse of women as a tool of suppression. Some women were raped in custody and some were killed. The effect of this use of sexual violence as a tool of war increased the anger and frustrations of the people, decreased support for the government and in avertedly fuelled the Maoist cause.
With the restoration of democracy in 1991, peoples’ expectations of the government were high. As it became clear that the government were unable to meet the increasing demands of the people, disillusionment set in. The government itself became more and more corrupt and the old divisions of caste and class could not be reduced and discrimination on social grounds continued. The Maoists went to the villages and convinced the people that all forms of discrimination, for example against lower castes, women, and minority ethnic groups could only be improved if the Maoists held political power. The Maoists convinced the lower castes that they were the ones who could bring about such changes through their support for the Maoist cause.
Situation of women
The situation of women during the conflict in Nepal is not different from that faced by women in other conflict situations. The situation of women in the current conflict can be divided into 3 categories:
1. Armed female Maoist guerrillas
2. Rural women who are trapped by both sides
3. Women groups working for peace
1. Armed female Maoist guerrillas
Women comprise one third of the Maoist armed forces. Women join the Maoists for three principle reasons:
1. Women joining for political reasons. These women tend to be from various groups such as women groups, student groups, farmer groups and cultural groups who have been educated by the Maoists for the duration.
2. Those women who join to seek revenge on the security forces. Since government suppression began in 1991, many innocent villagers have been the targets of police atrocities because of their assumed involvement in Maoist activities. Some women have lost their husbands or children or have been the victims of rape. A number of these women have consequently taken up arms to seek revenge against the security forces despite the fact that they were not previously involved in the Maoist movement.
3. Those women who find themselves as social outcasts. The Maoists directly target school children and women for education purposes. As a result women are often harassed by members of the security forces and are forced to flee their village. They then become social outcasts and cannot be accepted back into society. Joining the Maoists is one way in which they are able to safeguard their own security now that the traditional security structures are gone.
2. Rural women who are trapped by both sides
The conflict between the Maoists and the government is getting worse not better. Currently, the Maoists have some influence in over 90% of the country and all out control in many districts in the mid and far western development regions. Only the capital, Kathmandu and the district headquarters are still under government control. This means that the majority of the population is living in insecure areas. Those remaining in the villages are targeted by both sides as a result of their affiliation, or assumed affiliation, with the other side. Many of the men have left the villages but the women and children remain and are subjected to various forms of torture. Even those that are forced to join the Maoists are dealt the same harsh treatment by the security forces as those that voluntarily offer their support. In this way, they become the victims of both sides. The number of female-headed households is increasing, as is the burden of these women who must provide for their families with decreasing means as well as a lack of basic services.
3. Women groups working for peace
Women work for peace in various ways. One woman may have one son involved in the security forces and another child involved in the Maoist movement. For such women, peace is the only way to prevent the constant sense of insecurity that governs their lives. They therefore work for peace in low-key ways within the village. Other women form women’s groups usually at the regional or national level and their activities are much more visual. It is difficult for such organisations to harness the voice of the village women as they are often far removed from the realities of village life and the problems that women face. This tends to mean that civil society groups working for conflict transformation often approach the situation from a political perspective and neglect the human dimensions. This means that the problems faced by women during conflict are often not addressed.
The Maoist Movement in Global Context
If we take a step back and look at what is happening in Nepal in global context, the following observations can be made:
1. Maoists have some control over 90% of the country through voluntary or forced support or through suppression
2. Nepal has a democratic system of governance. Despite this, all political parties are unable to exercise their powers within this system; within the last year all elected bodies have been dissolved; faith in the constitution is at an all time low; the King has exercised executive power in the name of constitutional monarchy and the preservation of democracy; the Council of Ministers is powerless.
3. The governments of the US, the UK and India have declared the Maoists as terrorists and have promised to provide weapons and resources to the government to combat the Maoists. However, businesspersons from these same countries have also been implicated in selling arms to the Maoists.
4. Many people also believe that in Nepal, The King and the Maoists leaders, the Indian Government and Maoists leaders, and the King and the Indian Government have close relations and have been exploiting the conflict situation for their own gain.
5. There is evidence to suggest that since 1996 the Nepali Congress has been secretly funding the Maoists whilst at the same time condemning their actions in public. There support is believed to be a political tactic to take support away from their main opposition party, the Community Party of Nepal –United Marxist Leninist.
6. The strength of the ideology promoted by both sides has legitimised killing in the minds of many. In many ways, these killers can be seen as victims as they believe wholeheartedly in either the Maoist cause or anti-terrorism measures. People on both sides are usually unaware of the broader political power play that is underway.
7. In this situation, the poor and marginalized, women and children always suffer the most. Women have become tools of war and have been victimised by both sides. Until these women become aware of the broader political picture, the similar suffering of others and their rights, they will remain trapped in the present circumstances.
Challenges and ways forward
It is therefore possible to see that we are currently facing many problems in Nepal in terms of safeguarding the security of women in the present conflict situation.
1. Despite government assurances there is a lack of concrete policies that specifically address the difficulties faced by women. The government therefore needs to be pressurised to formulate policies and programmes that direct address these issues. A human as opposed to a purely political perspective needs to be integrated into government policies. Campaigning by women groups and the media can be instrumental in helping to achieve this goal.
2. Both sides need to respect internationally recognised humanitarian and human rights laws.
3. Security Council Resolution 1325 concerning the involvement of women in peace dialogue and peace negotiation processes as well as responsibilities of the state and rebel groups as well as outlining implementation measures needs to be implemented in Nepal.
4. Rape and other forms of sexual abuse as a tool of war needs to be recognised as a crime against humanity. Reports of violations by members of the security forces should be fully investigated by the state and individuals found guilty held to account and punished.
5. Women groups and the media can be instrumental in highlighting the various problems that women are facing as well as pressuring the government for the development of policies that recognise women’s rights and ensure their protection.