IT News
Imphal, June 16:
Manipur Students’ Association Delhi (MSAD) has submitted a memorandum to the Chairperson National Commission for Women, National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi and Chief Minister Office of Manipur urging to take up urgent investigation and actions in regards to the vulgar and contemptible Facebook group, “Kanglei emagi …………………” and others.
The Manipur Students’ Association Delhi seek kind attention regarding the current issue of a Facebook group circulating non-consented photos and passing on hateful and sexually derogatory comments towards various women hailing from Manipur.
The statement said that the existence of the group has come to our knowledge through the diligent investigative work of the non-profit organisation Mingsel Foundation, who first exposed this unsavory group to the public. As the name of the group suggests, it is in no way a civil association. The said group has become a hub of vulgarity and hatefulness. The modus operandi of the group is that the members would upload photos of individuals and even group family photos of women and young girls, without their consent, along with a derogatory caption that aims to invoke sexual fetishization and sexual violence. In the comment section, the other members would take part in this obscenity without a modicum of respect or civil ethics. Their target victim knows no bounds, ranging from innocent young girls to prominent personalities of Manipuri society.
MSAD statement said that they come to know that the group was first created on the 29th of January, 2021. Since then, the members of the group have grown at an unprecedented rate. At the time of writing the total members is at roughly 26,00o; for perspective, it was around 4,000-5,000 in March. Numerous individuals have tried reporting the group on Facebook but no actions were forthcoming as Facebook maintains that the group didn’t violate Facebook’s Community Standards. We came to know that Film Forum Manipur has also filed an official complaint as various film actresses of Manipuri cinema became a victim of the group. Complaints by individual victims were also filed. Ms Victoria Okram served a legal notice against the admin of this group (attached).
However, unfortunately, to our knowledge, no substantial actions have been taken up. In some way, we feel that the issue is not being considered of the highest importance. The admin and the members of the group continue to perform their deplorable actions freely, even with an attitude of defiance. In fact, the group has grown in number and the frequency of the post has increased daily., it added.
“We, as a student organisation, express utmost fear that the continued presence of this group will only corrupt the youths and further fuel the current climate of sexual harassment, abuse and violence. Although the existence and the growing numbers of such groups only prove the point that our society is still discriminatory towards women and continues to hold extremely prejudiced and abominable attitudes towards women. Such a group serves to normalise, justify and provide a gateway to other deplorable actions toward a group that constitute half of the population. We are not deluded into believing that shutting down a single Facebook group would alone solve the monumental problem that lay before us but it is of our better conscience that practical actions of small steps need to be taken up to reach the larger goal of equality. Moreover, the continued existence of this group has caused distress to many and more, so as the victims of this group. We believe that necessary actions taken up to restrict the group and provide justice to the victims will help in our larger struggle for gender equality and respectability”, the statement said.
In the memorandum the MSAD demands to speed up the investigation against the said group and take up necessary actions against other groups operating on similar lines; to permanently shut down the said group and other like ones and Take up legal action against the admin and related members of the said group according to due process of law.