GUWAHATI, Dec 22 � The North East Network and Assam Mahila Samata Society would organize a dissemination meeting of a joint publication �Witch hunting in Assam: Individual, Structural and Legal Dimensions, in Hatigaon here tomorrow.
The report brought out by Assam Mahila Samata Society, Partners for Law in Development and North East Network, is based on a study undertaken collaboratively by the three organisations. It draws its findings from 16 case studies of victims from Goalpara and Sonitpur districts of Assam, as well as police records on the subject from Goalpara.
The report highlights the continuum of violations connected with witch hunting. It also brings into focus, structural causes that make it possible to rationalize conflicts and losses through witch hunting.
It points towards gaps in law and justice, in terms of lack of awareness, police inaction, and most importantly, lack of preventive measures that enable a continuum of violations and also emphasises on policy solutions. The purpose of this dissemination workshop is to discuss witch hunting as a problem to be dealt with on three counts: Knowledge giving to civil society and for public action, police accountability and Government's accountability in terms of redress to victims.