'It's A Dress, Not Our Yes': Meghalaya Sees Protest Over Women Safety

A large number of women took to the streets in Meghalaya protesting against the rising number of crimes against women in the state, domestic violence and patriarchal mindset. The protest brought together concerns over women's safety in public spaces, domestic violence, harassment and the freedom to dress without being subjected to unwanted attention or violence.

The demonstration sought to challenge the perception that Meghalaya's matrilineal social structure automatically ensures equality and protection for women.

With slogans like "come one come all watch Patriarchy fall", "Matrilineal on the street, Patriarchy in the sheets", "Its a dress not our yes" and "1 in 6 Married women in Meghalaya faces domestic physical or sexual violence", "Momo Chow fried rice, men are full of lies" and "ek kachori do samosa in Mardon ka kya bharosha", the protesters tried to highlight their concern over women safety.

Protesters said patriarchal attitudes continue to shape women's experiences in both public and private spaces, while harassment and gender-based violence often remain underreported.

The protest comes against the backdrop of 658 cases of crimes against women registered in Meghalaya in 2024, compared with 628 cases in 2023, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

The crime rate against women stood at 38.9 per cent, while the charge sheeting rate was 72.1 per cent.

The protesters said the matrilineal identity of Meghalaya should not obscure the realities faced by women. They raised concerns over harassment, domestic violence, missing women and cases that, they claimed, remain unreported.

Expressing views over the protest, a protester said, "We are a bunch of citizens, we are not part of any organisation. The objective is We are matrilineal society but that does not mean that there is no gender-based violence happening in Shillong."

"There is a patriarchal culture here which no one talks about, which we want to be open about. Shillong is becoming unsafe for women, their harassment is happening. It's just unreported," she said.

"We are so far from Delhi and Mumbai, we know that Women journalist are mishandled by the police and we should in all solidarity protest for women's rights to dress the way they should. Nobody has the right to molest or even touch them just because of the dress they wear. We are protesting for women's rights. Women here also face same kind of patriarchal abuses as much as other places," senior journalist Patricia Mukhim said.