Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of New Delhi for India's first "Slut Walk" on Sunday, to protest at an alarming rise in sexual assault cases and the growing sense of insecurity among women.
Slut Walks", which have become a global phenomenon to protest against sexual violence, see women march dressed in skimpy clothing to challenge the mindset that victims of sexual assault should be blamed for the crimes against them.
The march started at 10.30am, with participants raising slogans such as 'Walk of no shame', 'Stop staring, women are not aliens from Venus', 'Change your thinking not your clothes' and others. Drum beats, celebrity bytes, aggressive slogans, a street play, some foreigners and participants in the form of media personnel summed up the not-so-hectic Sunday.
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/slut-walk-is-delhi-more-conservative-than-bhopal-123457&cpBut most of the women participating in the protest in New Delhi chose to wear loose T-shirts and trousers, as they felt the cause was more important than the clothes.A 2010 survey found that 85 per cent of women in Delhi feared being harassed, and many of those at Sunday's march said being groped or molested was an almost daily occurrence."Even if we are covered from head to toe, we get molested. Men just need an opportunity to harass women," said Raksha Gupta, a housewife who took part in the protest along with her husband and her in-laws"I take a deep breathe when I get in the bus and always keep a pepper spray in my bag," said Jaysingh, who believes fighting back against sexual assault is the only way to control it.New Delhi now tops the chart of the most unsafe cities in India, with 489 reported rape cases in 2010, up from 459 in 2009, according to police statistics.
In the 2010 survey by the Delhi government, the United Nations and women's rights group Jagori (Wake Up Women), 45 per cent of women said they avoided stepping out alone after dark and 65 per cent feared taking public transport.
A number of men joined their wives, girlfriends, daughters and nieces on the protest march.
India's rapid economic growth has thrown open new job opportunities for women, while attitudes to premarital relationships and sex have also transformed in middle class areas of major cities.
But women seen as modern and independent complain they are viewed by men as "easy".
The Slut Walk has faced opposition in India, with many viewing the title as provocative and distracting attention from a serious issue – prompting the organisers to soften it by adding the Hindi term for "shamelessness" to the name.
Its full title is Slut Walk or Besharmi Morcha (shameless front).
The march started at 10.30am, with participants raising slogans such as 'Walk of no shame', 'Stop staring, women are not aliens from Venus', 'Change your thinking not your clothes' and others. Drum beats, celebrity bytes, aggressive slogans, a street play, some foreigners and participants in the form of media personnel summed up the not-so-hectic Sunday.
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/slut-walk-is-delhi-more-conservative-than-bhopal-123457&cpBut most of the women participating in the protest in New Delhi chose to wear loose T-shirts and trousers, as they felt the cause was more important than the clothes.A 2010 survey found that 85 per cent of women in Delhi feared being harassed, and many of those at Sunday's march said being groped or molested was an almost daily occurrence."Even if we are covered from head to toe, we get molested. Men just need an opportunity to harass women," said Raksha Gupta, a housewife who took part in the protest along with her husband and her in-laws"I take a deep breathe when I get in the bus and always keep a pepper spray in my bag," said Jaysingh, who believes fighting back against sexual assault is the only way to control it.New Delhi now tops the chart of the most unsafe cities in India, with 489 reported rape cases in 2010, up from 459 in 2009, according to police statistics.
In the 2010 survey by the Delhi government, the United Nations and women's rights group Jagori (Wake Up Women), 45 per cent of women said they avoided stepping out alone after dark and 65 per cent feared taking public transport.
A number of men joined their wives, girlfriends, daughters and nieces on the protest march.
India's rapid economic growth has thrown open new job opportunities for women, while attitudes to premarital relationships and sex have also transformed in middle class areas of major cities.
But women seen as modern and independent complain they are viewed by men as "easy".
The Slut Walk has faced opposition in India, with many viewing the title as provocative and distracting attention from a serious issue – prompting the organisers to soften it by adding the Hindi term for "shamelessness" to the name.
Its full title is Slut Walk or Besharmi Morcha (shameless front).