Kohima: Nagaland University hosted a two-day international workshop titled ‘Women’s Voices’ from 6 to 7 November 2025 at the Department of English, in collaboration with the Centre for Women’s Development Studies (CWDS), New Delhi, and Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (RLS), Germany. The workshop was sponsored by RLS and attended by participants from across the Northeast and other parts of India.
Ten women, each from Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland, took part in the sessions, which also featured an exhibition showcasing their handicraft products and books. Research scholars and faculty members from the Department of English were also present.
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Speakers at the workshop included Prof N. Manimekalai, Director of CWDS; Prof Nitha N. from CWDS; journalist Patricia Mukhim from Meghalaya; writer and editor Monalisa Changkija; women’s rights activist Sano Vamuzo; Prof Rosemary Dzuvichu from Nagaland; and activists Renu Koyu, R. Chai, and Jarjum G Ete from Arunachal Pradesh. Participants also included Melissa Fernandes from Goa and Neha Naqvi from RLS South Asia.
Discussions focused on women’s rights, customary laws and long-standing issues affecting women in the Northeast. Participants shared accounts of resistance and social change, examining possible legal responses to challenges faced under customary systems. The need for public interest litigation (PIL) and remedies under Indian law, especially in cases where customary laws fail to protect women, also formed part of the deliberations.
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