As the world is observing the International Widows Day, today, Kashmiri women continue to suffer at the hands of Indian troops, police and dreaded agencies in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the International Widows Day, today, the unabated Indian state terrorism rendered 22,960 women wid-owed since January 1989 till date as their husbands were martyred by Indian troops and police personnel in fake encounters and in custody.
It said around 2,500 women have been forced to live as half widows during the past 35 years. The women whose husbands were subjected to custodial disappearance after arrest by Indian army and police are referred to as half widows and several of them died due to mental tension.
According to the Association of Parents of Dis-appeared Persons and other human rights groups in IIOJK, around 8,000 civilians have disappeared in the custody of Indian troops and police personnel since 1989, it said. For years, half widows in IIOJK have been running from one Indian army and para-military camps to another trying to find the where-abouts of their husbands, it added.
The report maintained that 683 women have been martyred by the troops and paramilitary forces since January 2001 till date. It pointed out that women constitute the majority of the Kashmiris suffering from multiple psychic problems and mental torture. “Due to unending agony, Kashmiri widows and half widows are suffering from psychological and other problems. As per a study, women comprise more than 60 percent of psychiatric patients in IIOJK,” it added.
According to Zoya Mir, a clinical psychologist in Srinagar, physical illness takes priority for many people. Mental illness is not visible in the same way, so it is difficult to understand it. “Stigma is attached to mental illness. Someone visiting a psychiatrist is considered crazy, which is why not many people even speak about it,” Mir said.
The report said the Kashmiri women are targeted for raising their voice against Indian brutalities. —KMS
