Kashmir Index | News | Organizations | Resources

Women, Peace and Security Initiatives: Kashmir
In-country | International

In-Country

Play “Kashmir” Hopes to Highlight the Plight of the Kashmiri Women Living in War
Shri Ram Centre
August 21 and 22, 7 p.m.
New Delhi, India
There is a term in Kashmir that has evolved over the years - the “half-widow”. “Kashmir’s men have disappeared and their women wait endlessly for them to return,” says the director, N.K. Sharma. According to her, many Kashmiri women suffer tremendously because of the war and spend their lives waiting for their husbands, who have either been taken away by security forces or joined the militants. "Kashmir'' promises to put a human face on the tragedy of this war-torn State. A play that attempts to look at the lives of ordinary people who constantly live in the shadow of fear, “Kashmir” hopes to address this plight of the women and children who have been so adversely affected by the war and have, for decades, been ignored. Scripted by Muzammil Jaleel, a journalist in Kashmir, the play will be staged at Shri Ram Centre in New Delhi on August 21 and 22 at 7 p.m.

Kahsmiri Women’s Writers Meeting
October 3, 2003
The Athwaas initiative, from the Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace, organized a Kahsmiri Women's Writers Meeting in Srinagar. About 30 women, Muslim and Hindu, gathered to express in their literature their suffering as well as the Kashmir tragedy they share. To read an article published in the Express India click here. For more information visit Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace.

ATHWAAS: Building Constituencies of Peace
October, 2001
ATHWAAS, which meaning is a warm greeting or shake of the hand, is a women initiative that look to build safe spaces for women in Kashmir. A group of women and men have been travel on a field trip to North and South Kashmir as well as to Purkho and Muthi camps of Jamunu, to listen to people experiences on both sides of the conflict. The purpose is to help women in these areas, whom almost all have lost a member of their family due to violence, to reconstruct their lives and to support the creation of self-help community groups. In October 2002, ATHWAAS organized a participatory rural workshop with the aim of identifying potential women leaders in the village of Tragpora, and train them, so they are able to articulate the needs of their village, in particular that of the women. In March 2003, 25 women were registered under the District Rural Development Scheme. Also, two self-help groups have been organized in the village. For more information visit Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace.

Breaking the Silence: Women and Kashmir
December, 2000
Women in Security, conflict Management and Peace organized a roundtable in December 2000 to discuss the important role fo women in peacebuilding and reconciliation initiatives in Kashmir. A group of women and men from Jammu and Kashmir representing different ages, communities, backgrounds ans political orientations participated in the roundtable discussion. The purpose was to create an space where those concerned with the conflict and those affected by the conflict could interact. Therefore, the roundtable was divided into two broad sections: “Perspectives On Kashmir” and “Perspectives From Kashmir”. To order the report by Sumona DasGupta on Breaking the Silence: Women and Kashmir contact WISCOMP <wiscomp@vsnl.com>. For more information visit Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace.

Kashmir: A Journey in Quest of Peace
July, 2000
Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA) visited Jammu and Kashmir from 24th June to 3rd July 2000. The purpose of the visit was to support the creation of women's intervention for peace in the region. At Jammu they were welcomed by the local organization Akhil Bharat Rachmnatmak Samaj which expressed their solidarity with the mission. Together they organized a rally for peace from the station to the center of the city. Also, WIPSA established a new chapter of WIPSA in Jammu. Continuing with the Journey in Quest of Peace, they visited Srinagar, where they met with members of the Kul Hind Tamiri Ma`ashra (Akhil Bharat Rachnatamak Samaj), men and women dedicated to building a constructive and just society in Kashmir. They attended a seminar organized by Kashmir Welfare Centre, a voluntary body, on the “Role of' NGO's in the present scenario” and visited victims of violence. Click here for the full report. For more information contact the Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia <wipsaindia@eth.net>.

International