National Conference Women’s Wing Voices Concerns Over Women’s Safety in Kashmir

31-07-2023 : On Monday, the National Conference Women’s Wing staged a protest in Srinagar, expressing deep concern over the reported missing of ten thousand Kashmiri girls in the Kashmir Valley. Led by State President Shamim Firdous, hundreds of party workers marched from the party headquarters at Nawa-e-Subh Complex, chanting slogans and demanding answers about the whereabouts of these missing women. However, the procession was met with police intervention, preventing them from proceeding to the TRC junction in the capital city.

Shamim Firdous spoke to the media, highlighting the seriousness of the issue, stating that it is alarming that ten thousand girls have gone missing in Kashmir Valley over the past three years. She emphasized that this figure exposes the grim reality of women’s safety and security in the region. Firdous questioned the effectiveness of campaigns like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao,’ and lamented the prevailing sense of fear that women and girls experience when venturing outside their homes.

The gravity of the situation came to light when the government recently responded to a question in Rajya Sabha. Minister of State for Home, Ajay Mishra, informed the parliament that a staggering 9,765 women have been reported missing from their homes in Jammu and Kashmir between 2019 and 2021. The data revealed that during this three-year period, there were 1,148 cases of missing girls below the age of 18 and 8,617 women above the age of 18 who have disappeared.