This violence in Valley has no name

In Kashmir, there is ongoing strife on two fronts today. The first is highly visible — and all over the local and national news — as communities struggle to fend off terror elements and learn to live with crippling ‘hartals’ (curfews). The second is completely hidden, although no less problematic or painful. It is the violence unleashed on Kashmiri women and girls by their own men, who are supported unconditionally by patriarchal structures that allow them to uninhibitedly exercise power and authority. Like elsewhere in India, here too boys grow up thinking harassment and eve-teasing are ‘cool’ and sure-shot signs of being ‘manly’ and ‘in control’. But whereas in the rest of the country women are increasingly coming out to voice their angst against these blatant attitudes, in the Valley there is still a rather deafening silence on the issue. Whether it’s dealing with a stalker, fending off the unwanted advances of a teacher or a colleague, or living with the trauma of being molested by a family member... there are many troubling experiences that women have been unable to go public with.

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