Imphal, Jan 21: The Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR) in Kangpokpi district has strongly condemned what it described as a serious failure of justice following the death of a young Kuki woman who survived brutal sexual violence for more than two years without receiving meaningful redress. In a press statement, the organisation said the case exposes deep flaws in social and institutional responses to crimes against women.
According to KWOHR, the victim was only 18 years old when the violence was inflicted upon her, an age that should have guaranteed protection, dignity and opportunity. Instead, the organisation said, she was forced to endure prolonged physical, mental and emotional suffering while the systems responsible for safeguarding her rights remained largely unresponsive. The survivor passed away on January 10, 2026, after battling the consequences of the assault for over two years.
Rejecting narratives that frame sexual violence in terms of honour or morality, KWOHR emphasised that rape is fundamentally an abuse of power. The organisation said treating such crimes as isolated acts of rage or moral failure obscures their true nature and allows accountability to be diluted. It called for a fundamental shift in how society and institutions confront sexual violence and support survivors.
While condemning the perpetrators, KWOHR also questioned the broader social and institutional failures surrounding the case. It criticised those who allegedly played a role in facilitating the victim’s handover to her assailants and raised serious concerns over the justice delivery mechanism, which, it said, failed to resolve the case during the survivor’s lifetime. The organisation asked pointed questions about the absence of effective state intervention, judicial action and enforcement of the rule of law.
Warning that such failures erode public trust and deepen anger and despair, KWOHR urged that the victim’s death should not be reduced to another statistic. Instead, it called for her story to become a catalyst for sustained resistance against violence, impunity and systemic neglect. Reiterating its core message, the organisation said that every life has value and that justice, dignity and safety for women must remain non-negotiable responsibilities of both society and the state.
