North East Network turns 30 on 22 March 2025: Three decades of upholding gender justice and women’s rights in north east India.
North East Network, popularly called NEN, was started on 22 March 1995. It was established by two young feminists, Dr Monisha Behal and Dr Roshmi Goswami from Assam and Meghalaya respectively. 1995 was the year when the 4th World Conference on Women was held in Beijing. The founders took it as an opportune moment to represent the voices of women of north east India (NEI) at a global forum. They left no stone unturned to mobilise women from across the hills and plains of NEI. Led by NEN, a delegation of 20 women from 7 NE states went to Beijing and they included academics, members of women’s organisations and activists. Prior to the Conference, NEN participated in regional workshops, bringing together women from rural and urban areas of the NE states. Their voices on issues of livelihood, impact of customary laws and conflict in women’s lives, violence against women, women in political participation and health were included in the NGO report for the Beijing Conference. The official paper of Government of India took note of issues of women of NEI.
Back home, determined with courage and strong will power, the founders of NEN started work on a war footing in the 3 states amidst challenges related to conflict situation, diverse ethnicities, society’s limited understanding of gender, highly patriarchal communities, insensitive matriliny, inadequate funding support, technological and communication hurdles and so on.
To reach out to the last woman in the district, the organisation took up various issues at multiple levels ranging from direct services through health collectives, building leadership of women, initiating livelihood activities and more, from a strong gender lens. Infact, NEN is the earliest feminist organisation of the region. It provided a platform for individuals, women’s groups and educational institutions to come together to brainstorm on emerging concerns of women of the region through collective feminist action and voice. It also bridged the gap between the NE region and the rest of the country and this helped to strengthen awareness about women of NEI. Through a collaborative process, the issues of women were put on the national map and the women’s movement of the country collectively started addressing the same. NEN has emerged as a credible thought leader in global networks.
NEN started with the vision that women must be at the centre stage of all decision making processes, both in private and public spheres. Today, NEN sees the second rung of leadership in Meghalaya, Assam and Nagaland whose capacities have been professionally strengthened; they are committed to carry forward its mission for several generations to come and ensure a society that is equal and just for all. To empower women, NEN strongly believes in understanding the intersecting social identities and rights of every woman as crucial, irrespective of their ethnic origins, disability, religious belief and sexual orientation. Today, we work with diverse women who are farmers, weavers, vendors, home based workers, home makers violence survivors, low income migrant workers and youth.
NEN started the process of creating grassroots feminist women leaders who are now the 3rd line leaders of the organisation. The different communities of women we work with have been able to exercise their agency through initiatives led by them. These initiatives are channelled through women-led community spaces such as the Gramin Mahila Kendra ( Rural Women’s Centre) in Assam, Chizami Resource Centre in Nagaland and Community Support Centres (CSC) in Meghalaya. These spaces have given NEN a distinct visibility at the grass root level through a wide outreach in different villages across 23 districts in the 3 states. These have become safe spaces for survivors of domestic violence as well as creative learning forums for the youth and children in the community. Young persons have been nurtured as change agents through youth collectives and networks and their voices have been amplified on social injustice and prejudices against women.
Across four thematic areas, the organisation has ensured transformational changes at the community level. Promotion of livelihood diversity to enhance rural economies is a top priority of NEN. Hundreds of women have been provided livelihood through capacity building and skill development training on farm and non-farm activities such as textile weaving, farming, tailoring, food processing, etc. Eco-systems for gender-responsive approaches to mitigate gender-based violence have been strengthened by creating pools of trained barefoot counselors, peer leaders and support groups of women in rural areas. The teams continue to engage with state agencies towards strengthening implementation of gender-sensitive laws and policies, facilitating women’s access to different state entitlements, collaborative training programmes and ensuring women’s role in local governance. Inclusion of women leaders locally in Dorbar Shnongs, Village Defence Parties, village councils, Bio diversity Committees and other government bodies , educational institutions, is visible. The theme on natural resource regeneration strongly holds feminist position that women are custodians of biodiversity, agroecology and that the power of women’s knowledge must be included in all community interventions and environmental policies. NEN has mobilised women-led initiatives on biodiversity conservation, seed banks, ecological food and farming systems, regenerative local food production, etc.
Based on our lived experiences, our strategies are ever evolving and we use them in an integrated manner to influence public opinion, initiate community development, forge partnerships and strengthen action oriented documentation.
As the organisation moves ahead, NEN remains committed as ever and continues to march on to promote women’s agenda, building intergenerational solidarities, promoting feminist sisterhood, and stands resilient to be future-ready. The main values upheld by NEN in its quest for women’s rights and gender justice remain steadfastly the principle of non-discrimination and substantive equality & respect for diversity, inclusivity, plurality, peace and secularism. We will continue to create the last mile impact, weaving stories of change out of women’s narratives and realities and ensure a women-led future.
