The brutal, deadly attack on a young student in New Delhi, India, in December sent a shock-wave through India and the world. For a while, violence against women was in the global media spotlight. But without continued, concerted action the world-wide pandemic of violence against women will continue. What can you do to make the world safer for women? 

The rape and murder of “Damini”/“Nirbhaya” made headlines around the world. But this was not an isolated incident. As Annette Mascarenhas, President of the National Association of Soroptimist International – India wrote in a post on the SoroptiVoice blog:

“Every day, our media wakes us up to countless number of incidents involving women and girls including minors, who are victims of unabated horrific acts of harassment, eve-teasing, molestation, domestic violence, cruelty, ghastly crimes of rapes, murders, burning, acid attacks, suicides, girl trafficking, honor killing, caste victimisation, atrocities against indigenous and tribal communities. Very few cases are made public especially when heinous rapes are committed by family members, relatives, neighbours, servants, bosses, politicians, police or armed forces.”

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in protest and signed online petitions calling for change in India. The Justice Verma Committee was set up and reported at the end of January, recommending comprehensive changes to laws dealing with sexual violence, key judicial and police reforms to ensure accountability and a reiteration of the rights guaranteed to women under India’s constitution. However, a new ordinance signed into law on 3 February, reforming India’s criminal law on sexual violence, ignores the Committee’s key recommendations, especially on police accountability and framing sexual violence as a violation of women’s rights to bodily integrity. Read Amnesty International’s criticism of the new legislation.

“As the media spotlight moves on from the attack in India, we need to ensure that the issue of violence against women does not drop off of our radar screen”, explains SI President Alice Wells. The World Health Organisation estimates that 1 in 3 women will be raped, beaten or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Continued pressure is needed in India and around the world if we are to see progress in eliminating violence against women.

Every woman, man and child around the world has a role to play in ending violence against women. So what can you do?

AWARENESS

• Develop your understanding: Have a look at the reading list in our Virtual Library  and read the human stories behind the statistics in these case studies of women affected by violence (pdf), from India to USA, China to DRC.
• Find out about services in your community that support those affected by violence at www.hotpeachpages.net/. 
• Educate children and young people: talk to them about positive relationships and challenge gender-stereotypes, which reinforce the attitudes that often underpin violence against women.

ACTION

• Petition: End Rape Now – sign the Global Fund for Women petition  calling for action to end rape and sexual violence against women
• Take a stand against Gendercide: sign “It’s a Girl” campaign’s petition, In India, China, and many other countries, girls are killed, aborted, and abandoned simply because they are girls
• Say Enough is Enough on International Women’s Day: join our global day of action on violence against women.

ADVOCACY

The UN’s Commission on the Status of Women is the principal global policy-making body on women’s rights and gender equality. This year, the primary theme will be eliminating violence against women. It is vital that Governments reach firm conclusions and send out a strong message against gender-violence.

• Lobby your Government before CSW –  just two weeks left to write to your national officials responsible for gender equality and women’s issues – download a postcard or letter template from www.soroptimistinternational.org/si-at-the-un/agencies/commission-on-the-status-of-women

Read more about SI’s work to eliminate violence against women.