Violence on Naga Women in the Context of Illegal Liquor Trade: A Study in Kohima, Nagaland

In 1989, the Government of NagalandNagaland prohibited the sale, import, and consumption of bottled liquorLiquor. IllegalIllegal sale of liquorLiquor, however, continues to thrive throughout the stateState. A significant number of womenWomen, especially single mothers are involved in the illegalIllegal liquorLiquor tradeTrade. They conduct business mostly from their homesHome or from shops adjoining or close to their homesHome. The legal prohibitionProhibition has created a space that allows several pressure groups to unofficially collect taxes from womenWomen liquorLiquor traders, thereby increasing their vulnerability to extortionExtortion, harassmentHarassment, and violenceViolence. The chapter examines women’sWomen daily negotiations with violenceViolence within the context of illegalIllegal liquorLiquor tradeTrade in KohimaKohima, NagalandNagaland, to reorient the problem of violenceViolence in relation to labourLabour vis-a-vis lawLaw and legality, as well as social normsSocial norms and institutionsInstitutions. The findings and analysis in the chapter are based on primary research conducted by the author in KohimaKohima, NagalandNagaland, with the objective of understanding the social, legal, and historical contexts of the practice of liquorLiquor consumption within which violenceViolence in the form of mental harassmentHarassment, physical altercations and threatsThreat endured by the Naga womenWomen liquorLiquor traders from intimate partners, customers, stateState authorities and the ostracization by the church operates.