KOHIMA, India — Thousands of people from the Naga community walked through driving rain on Friday, rallying together to demand justice for survivors of sexual violence following a wave of reported cases across the state.
Demonstrators gathered in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, where speakers urged their community to stop staying quiet about sexual violence out of fear of social backlash and judgment.
Rosemary Dzuvichu, an adviser for the Naga Mother’s Association and a leading voice for women’s rights in the region, described the barriers survivors face: “Victims and victim families have faced doubts cast on victims, character assassination and often pressures and compromises on the victim to marry the rapist or perpetrator. Many cases have therefore remained unreported.”
Nagaland is a small, mountainous state that has long been regarded as one of the safest places for women anywhere in India. However, a string of sexual assaults over recent months has deeply unsettled that reputation.
Independent researcher Sophy Lasuh, who attended the rally alongside her sister, shared her thoughts on what the moment revealed about her community: “We need to reflect and ask ourselves what it means to be a close knit society when we mourn and grieve together without question, yet abandon survivors of sexual assault to fight alone, carrying a shame that actually belongs to the perpetrator.”
Sexual assault against women remains a widespread problem across India. According to the country’s National Crime Records Bureau, police logged 29,536 rape cases in 2024 — a number experts believe vastly understates the true scale of the problem, given the stigma attached to sexual violence and many victims’ distrust of law enforcement.
Standing in the rain with an umbrella, surrounded by fellow members of her tribe, Sanglishe Yimkhiumg, 45, made her feelings clear: “We do not want Nagaland to be this way.”
