WUNRN
Global Fund for Women
By Preeti
Mangala Shekar
The Manipur
Women Gun Survivors Network is based in the
north-east Indian state of Manipur (bordering
Research
by the group illustrates the ways women are disproportionately affected by gun
violence:
·
As targets of armed groups and the military
·
When male family members are killed or injured, women
must flee and/or become the sole economic support for their families
·
Nearly 60 percent of small arms are in the hands of
private individuals
·
Majority of those who make, sell, buy, and misuse arms
are men
Thanks
to the group, 40 women survivors of gun violence are now economically
independent and an inspiration to women-led household disarmament campaigns.
In addition, the
network actively lobbies and educates government, civil society, and
international agencies about this specific form of violence against women. In
the 52nd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women held in 2008,
Binalakshmi Nepram addressed the UN and screened the group’s film, “The
Story of Manipur Women Gun Survivors.” Next year, Manipur Women plans to
conduct mapping of areas affected by armed violence in India’s northeast.
In 2010,
Binalakshmi received recognition for her work was awarded the Sean MacBride
Peace Prize. The prize is given out annually by the International Peace Bureau
(IPB), founded in 1891. Named after Sean MacBride, a distinguished Irish
statesman who shared the 1974 Nobel Peace Prize, this award is given to
individuals or organisations for their outstanding work for peace, disarmament
and human rights. For more information about the prize, go to the
IPB website.