Dehradun: A news has come out from Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve of Uttarakhand, which creates concern. Here, digital technologies like camera traps and drones installed to keep an eye on wild animals are capturing the privacy of women living in villages and hamlets near the forest. These gadgets are violating the rights of these women. After this was revealed through a research, the Forest Department has now started investigation in this regard.
In fact, a research article by Cambridge University researchers Trishant Simlai and Chris Sandbrook – ‘Gendered Forest: Digital Surveillance Technologies for Conservation and Gender-Environment Relationships’ – documents many such incidents. This includes an incident in which a picture of a semi-nude woman defecating was “inadvertently” captured on camera.
According to TOI report, the woman was autistic and belonged to a marginalized caste group. Due to this, she could not tell anyone in her family or other women about the photographs being taken. Matters became worse when youths recently appointed as temporary forest personnel accessed the photo and shared it on local social media groups. This research, published on November 24, states that due to this misbehavior, the people of the woman’s village became very angry and out of anger they broke camera traps in the surrounding forest areas and threatened to set fire to the forest personnel station. Gave.
It also cites instances where women felt like they were being ‘watched’ because of camera traps. The authors of the research said, “Due to surveillance through camera traps, women are not going out to collect things like firewood and grass, as well as herbs and honey.”
The study further said that these technologies have also reduced traditional practices like singing or talking loudly while roaming in the forests. People living in forest areas singing and speaking loudly while roaming are not only culturally important, but it also helps them prevent attacks by wild animals.
During the research, a woman told that “There is a tigress with cubs in this part of our forest. “If we don’t sing or talk loudly, there is a possibility of him attacking us.” During the research, he talked to 270 people in the settlements near Corbett in 14 months in 2019. Incidentally, a woman interviewed during the research has since died in a tiger attack.
Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttarakhand Ranjan Mishra said, “The Director of Corbett will investigate the matter and we will say something only after the investigation is completed.”
Tags: Dehradun news, Uttarakhand news
FIRST PUBLISHED : November 29, 2024, 09:19 IST
