"In India's Northeast, women traditionally play a major role in society, yet they have not found their legitimate place at the negotiating table when it comes to resolving conflicts in the region", Binalakshmi Nepram, founder of Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network and secretary general of New Delhi based Control Arms Foundation of India, said at a conclave in Guwahati on Saturday.
Highlighting that women suffer the most in insurgency-ravaged Northeast, Nepram said, "Women in the region need to not only understand the political economy of militarism, but also look at measures to bring back peace and justice".
In light of this, she added that the need of the hour for the women of the region was to re-strategize and work together to add value to the contribution and sacrifices made by women groups in the past.
Kheshili Z.Chishi, convener of Indigenous Women's Forum for Northeast India (IWFNEI) and former president of Naga Mothers' Association, said, "Women in the Northeast should be more pro-active in building peace and creating better understanding among the people more than ever before".
The conclave provides an opportunity to women including peacemakers, academicians, researchers, policymakers, lawyers, social activists and students to share knowledge, raise issues, to listen to one another and determine ways to promote peace in the region.
The conclave was organised under the "Northeast Women Initiative for Peace" project, an initiative of Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network in collaboration with North East Social Research Centre, Guwahati.
Northeast Women Initiative for Peace (NEIWIP) is a network of women organizations working for peace.