Soroptimists in India have been taking part in the wave of protests following the horrific gang-rape and murder of a young woman in Delhi in December.
On 5 January, SI of Bangalore organised a candlelight march in memory of the 23 year-old physiotherapy student, who died of her injuries following the brutal attack on a bus. Men, women, students and children all took part in the demonstration and took an oath to do their bit in making the city a safer place for women.
Sujatha Balakrishnan, President of SI Bangalore told participants that the memories of the candlelight march should not melt away like the candle as they reach home. It should invoke and inspire them to become more socially responsible citizens. Writing in a blog post that will be published this week, she explains:
“If we want to see the change, let us be the change. Women must develop the inner strength and confidence to stand and speak up for themselves. Even the smallest form of injustice must be reported. If we remain mute spectators to any form of violence, the crime against women will not decrease.”
Thousands of people in Delhi and across India have taken to the streets to condemn the brutal rape and murder, as well as the entrenched attitudes that hold victims of rape and sexual assault responsible for the crimes committed against them.
“What angers us is that in India, a pantheon of female deities are worshipped and glorified but many Indian women are brutally stripped of their basic rights and their existence has been in jeopardy for centuries”, explains Annette Mascarenhas, President of the National Association of Soroptimist International clubs of India. “The paradox here is, that six decades after independence our society is still orthodox and expects women to juggle between work, family responsibilities and not to cross lakshman rekha.”
The National Association of Soroptimist clubs in India has written to the Verma Commission, proposing social, legal and cultural changes to prevent violence against women, and to the Government to urge immediate steps to protect women, obtain fast-track justice for rape victims and and take speedy action to eliminate rape and violence against women.
In Madurai, the Soroptimist club has offered its support to the local authorities to help publicise the steps already taken by the city administration to prevent rape and attacks on women and, where crimes do take place, to enable easy reporting. Measures include special cells with women officers and providing helpline numbers.
“The gang rape in Delhi is a pan India issue and finally seems to have stirred the conscience of the society”, says SI Madurai President Divya Gupta. “To stop rape we have to think about the attitudes that make rape imaginable. I strongly believe, it is the mentality of the society that needs to change and change it will."
Blog posts by Annette Mascarenhas, President of the Indian National Association of Soroptimist International and Sujatha Balakrishnan, President of SI Bangalore will be published on the SoroptiVoice blog on Thursday 10th and Friday 11th January.
