Binalakshmi Nepram

Binalakshmi Nepram is an Indian humanitarian, author, and female activist for the advocacy of gender rights and women-led disarmament movements with the objective of arresting gun culture and bringing about peace for her home state of Manipur in particular and northeast India in general. Her parents are Nepram Bihari and Yensembam Ibemhal. She grew up in Imphal in an atmosphere of violence and bloodshed which shaped her future work, and there was even a general curfew in Imphal imposed by the army when she was born. She did her schooling in Imphal and obtained a second rank in her High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examination, for which she received the Amusana and Gouro Memorial Award. She holds a master's degree in history from the Delhi University and a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) degree in South Asian studies in international relations from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

During her research stints in JNU she became aware of the seriousness of violence in her home state. Her research was influenced by the book Trafficking in Small Arms and Sensitive Technologies and a White Paper related to small arms issued by the Canadian government which had a lasting impact on her. Her two years of research in JNU resulted in the publication titled South Asia's Fractured Frontier (2002) and she continued to work on her favourite subject of "Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA)". In 2004, she was instrumental in establishing the Control Arms Foundation of India (CAFI) in New Delhi with the objective of study of conventional disarmament issues as relevant to the increase in the use of small arms and light weapons that was detrimental to the social groups, in particular to women, children and old people.