'Women are easy targets during violence' NCW said - trying to deal with atrocities in Manipur

The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Wednesday said it is trying its best to deal with the atrocities on women in violence-hit Manipur. NCW secretary Meenakshi Negi said they have sent a high-level committee to Manipur, which has met the affected people.

Manipur has witnessed large-scale ethnic clashes between the majority Meitei and tribal Kuki communities since May 3, leaving over 160 people dead. There have also been incidents of rape in Manipur, which have shaken the nation. In the matter of legal aid to the aggrieved women, he said that it is already being given.

The secretary said that this is not the first time that women are being targeted during the violence. He said that women are the easiest targets. Even when Sikandar came here, women were targeted.

The NCW expressed concern over the increasing trafficking of girls and women in the country and said that there is a need to create awareness among them so that they do not fall into such traps. Commission Secretary Meenakshi Negi said that identification of victims of smuggling is a difficult task and the Commission is trying to train policemen, customs officials, and CISF forces to identify the crime. She was addressing a regional consultation meeting of southern states and union territories here.

The meeting was organized by NCW. Pointing out the difficulties faced by various agencies in preventing the crime, Negi said that smuggling is happening by road, train, ship, and even by air. Negi said that human trafficking is a global issue.