By denying women justice and equal opportunity, India falls far short of the UN’s women, peace and security agenda

We need to recognise that women, who play an important role in peace and justice, are being systematically dehumanised in conflict situations in the country

In 2008, a 17-year-old Adivasi girl, Kawasi Hidme, was arrested in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, for “being involved in the killing of 23 policemen” along with a group of Maoists. For the first three months after arrest, she was allegedly chained, beaten, raped and tortured in police custody, and kept naked during detention. After seven years, she was acquitted of all charges. In 2013, a girl studying in Class VI was raped by a constable of the Indian Reserve Battalion after he forced her to consume alcohol in Longding, Arunachal Pradesh. The girl was found lying unconscious beside the circuit house.

These are just two of 114 instances of recorded sexual violence perpetrated against women by the armed forces and the State police between October 2000 and October 2020 in 11 States affected by armed conflict. They have been documented in India: 20 Years of the UNSC Resolution 1325, a report by the Asian Centre for Human Rights. The report also lists acts of sexual violence by non-state actors and by armed opposition groups.