Protibaad Forum Newsletter

Protesting Violence Against Women Issue No. 3, July 2013 OPINIONS

Rashmi Rao: Couldn’t resist writing these lines: boggle the rational mind of most feminists in or the I am me, a daughter, a partner, a mother, a lover, a woman West, but policymakers are still groping for answers in the Lest you forget I am a human too, dark. Indira Gandhi ruled for almost 15 years with an iron I smile, I cry, I laugh, I rejoice, fist. Her daughter-in-law Sonia Gandhi is now the head of Don’t make me an object of your desire. the coalition government that runs the country. The chief Gone are the days when irrespective of minister of , Sheila Dixit, has been a leading politician any gender a birth was rejoiced. It indeed running metropolitan Delhi since 1998. We have had looks like we somehow got transported powerful women chief ministers in the north, central and through a time capsule to a time where south of the country. Yet, the fate of women has not the gender divide is rampant. And the violence against improved, arguably, it has become worst. woman is not just limited to abuse/rape…female feticide, Anusree Mitra: Social attitude change is slow. Let's child marriage, , etc. are topping the face it: no amount of discussion in blogs or social media list. A quick analysis and insight of some stats suggest that will make women safe in a society where a certain way of of the total number of cases that made to court, the dressing is perceived as attracting attention, an invitation overall rate of convictions stand at 26.4%, or 4,072 for men's ogling or worse. I travel extensively in all corners convictions while 11,351 acquittals were recorded. Only of the world, and I try to blend in, without questioning Manipur recorded a 100% conviction rate in rape trials in why I should have to wear less jewelry in a city where 2011-12. And this is just rape trials. What about cases poverty and unemployment is high, or why I can't wear pertaining to other type of abuse? Most of such cases are shorts in a church or a temple. Frankly, I have no issues left unreported. Women are expected to take it low, else with these things individually, for I know that adjusting to they are looked upon as too westernized or someone who those simple constraints don't define who I am. I am sure deserved the abuse meted out to her. A woman irrespective of her social standing, whether she is earning or not, is seen as the person who is expected to do the chores of the household. Maybe the upbringing has undergone a radical shift in gone by centuries, one can only ponder. Not a pessimist, but unfortunately a movement might be needed to change the way society functions and conducts itself with everyone irrespective of the gender. Dinesh Sharma: How is it possible in a country which boasts to have so many women politicians at the local and national level that young ordinary girls feel unsafe on the streets? This should 1 there are people who feel differently, and that's okay with damage inflicted on women's bodies, on the map of India, me. But people need to recognize that there is no such where you can, if you want, create a constantly updating thing as unlimited freedom, and anything that is out of map of violence against women. For some, amnesia sync with existing social norms is likely to invite trouble. becomes a way of self-defence: there is only so much This discussion and debate about the same old stuff darkness you can swallow. among like minded people who are not the problem is not Urvashi Butalia : It is important we going to convince or change the mind of too many people raise our collective voice for women, but who are the real problems. We have every right to debate let's raise it for all women, let's raise it so and discuss, but let us please recognize that we are just that no woman, no matter that she be listening to our own echoes. poor, rich, urban, rural, Dalit, Muslim, Nilanjana Roy : Sometimes, when we Hindu, or whatever, ever, in the future, talk about the history of , has to face sexual violence, and no man assumes that we speak in shorthand. The Mathura rape because of the system and people's mindsets, he can case. The Vishaka guidelines. The simply get away with it. And let's raise it also for men, for Bhanwari Devi case, the Suryanelli affair, transgenders, for the poor all those who become targets the Soni Sori allegations, the business at of violence. Let's not forget that the young rape survivor in Kunan Pushpora. Each of these, the names of women and Delhi was accompanied by a friend who too was subjected places, mapping a geography of pain; unspeakable to violence and nearly killed. Let's talk about him too. NEWS : VAW IN INDIA

n ASSAM to a place by one accused. The accused who knew one of An 11-year-old girl was raped allegedly by a teenager the girls, managed to convince them to accompany him on the pretext of showing her a movie on his mobile and have a look at his newly constructed house, but took phone at Nagabat in Assam’s Jorhat district. The perpetra- them to another place where his two friends were pres- tor told the Class V student that he would show her a film ent. The three youths, aged between 20 and 23 years, on his mobile phone when she was on her way for tuition raped the girls and dropped them near the house of one and took her behind the school building and allegedly of the victim’s grandmother after midnight. All the raped her. The victim narrated her plight to her parents accused were arrested. after reaching home. Llocal people caught the accused n MADHYA PRADESH and handed him over to the police. Test confirms Manipuri girls rescued from n HARYANA home were sexually abused. A medical examination has found ruptured or absent hymens in 13 of the 15 Manipuri Raped in a vehicle. A woman gang-raped by two men girls rescued from an illegal children’s home in Jaipur in who offered her a lift to a religious function in their March, confirming sexual exploitation. The youngest of vehicle. The two accused have been arrested. The inci- these children is only 7 year old; the oldest is 15. Nine of dent, according to the victim, took place in Sirsa town, 260 the 13 girls have been found suffering from leucorrhoea, a km from Chandigarh. The woman told police that she was vaginal discharge typically seen among sex workers and walking towards the venue of a religious function when a women with poor hygiene. According to the report of the car stopped near her in which three men were present. medical examination, the 20 children (15 girls and five Car occupants told her that they were also going to the boys) were examined by a panel of doctors after more same function and offered her lift in the vehicle. The men than two months of their being repatriated. The children took her to a vacant plot in Sirsa’s Sector 20 and two of were rescued after a raid on Grace Home in Jaipur, run by them gang-raped her, while the third man stood there. pastor Jacob John. 19 of the 20 children belong to Ukhrul n JHARKHAND district; one is from Chandel district. Three minor girls raped in Hazaribagh. Three minor Pastor Jacob John was arrested by the Nagaland girls were kidnapped and raped by three youths at a place police in Jaipur on May 2, and by the Manipur police in under Ichak police station in Hazaribagh district. The Dimapur jail on June 13. Sources in Ukhrul said John, incident occurred when the girls, on their way home after whose first wife was a Tangkhul Naga from the district, appearing for supplementary examination conducted by had been visiting Ukhrul from Jaipur since 1997 to preach the Jharkhand Secondary School Examination, were taken at the Tuinem Baptist Church and Nepali Baptist Church. 2 n MAHARASTRA Jaipur. The victim claimed that the boy raped her for two CEO booked for sexually assaulting his daugh- years and his sister filmed both of them. According to the ter. In a shocking incident, a CEO of a manufacturing girl she was first sexually assaulted in March 2011 where company has been booked for sexually assaulting his 19- she was drugged by accused's sister and the incident was year-old daughter. 45-year-old father has been accused of filmed by his sister. After this the brother-sister duo sexually assaulting his daughter for the last three years blackmailed her with the MMS. They also extorted money and had even forced her to accompany him on ‘business from the girl by threatening her of posting the videos in trips’ where she was raped by his colleagues. The girl is a the internet. Later victim confined in her mother and second year commerce student and now stays with her approached police. mother, who separated from her father three years ago. A n UTTAR PRADESH complaint has been lodged in Koregaon Park police. The 15-year old raped. A 15-year-old girl was allegedly accused are presently absconding. raped by a youth in Vidarka area of Shikohabad district. Pregnant woman gangraped in front of her husband. The girl had gone out to attend to nature’s call when A 20-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly gangraped Bantu, 22, of the same village raped her and fled. by four men in front of her husband in Chotta Gondia Woman forcibly married and gang-raped as ‘hon- locality. According to reports, the victim and her husband our’ punishment. A 24-year-old woman was forcibly were on their way back home from a relative’s house married and gang-raped as a brutal ‘honour’ punishment when they were stopped by four youths. They beat up the after her brother eloped with a girl from the village. The husband and gangraped her. The rapists even looted horrific assault was allegedly sanctioned by village elders. couple’s belongings after committing the crime. Later, The woman was forced by the Panchayat to wed the around 3 am at night, the couple, somehow managed to husband of her brother’s girlfriend as revenge. The reach Gondia City police station and lodged a complaint. Panchayat also forced her parents to pay Rs 75,000 as The police has arrested the four accused compensation to her new in-laws. Within hours of tying n ODISHA the knot to her new spouse, she was attacked and merci- Woman chops off man's testicles to avert rape. A lessly raped by several of his brothers. Woman told the woman allegedly chopped off a man's testicles in Odisha police that her brothers-in-law raped her repeatedly the after he tried to rape her. The incident occurred near same day she was married. It became a routine. The brutal Gopalpur village in the coastal district of Jagatsinghpur, incident came to light only when the victim found the 100 km from Bhubaneswar. It came to light after police courage to file a complaint with police. began probe following a complaint by the man a day later. Over 23,000 Rape Cases pending in High Courts The woman, a mother of two, said two men overpowered her when she was returning home from a temple. She Over 23,000 rape cases are pending in various high managed to free herself and fled to the temple. When one courts while more than 8,000 of them have been of the men followed her and tried to rape her, she disposed of in the last three years. Law Minister Kapil chopped off his testicles with a sharp weapon. Sibal informed the Lok Sabha that 23,792 cases related to rape were pending in 21 high courts as on Sept. 30, nRAJASTHAN 2012. Hish courts disposed 8,772 cases between Oct. 14-year old raped. At least half a dozen men gang- 2009 and Sept. 2012. A maximum of 8,215 cases are raped a 14-year-old girl and then dumped her at a hospital pending in the Allahabad High Court which disposed 39 before disappearing. The incident occurred in Nagar area cases in 3 years. In the Delhi High Court, where 924 of Bharatpur district, some 200 km from Jaipur. About six cases were pending till the end of Sept. 2012, disposed men—most of them belonging to the girl’s village— of 1135 cases. The Karnataka High Court, where 243 kidnapped the her previous night. The family members cases are pending, disposed of 4,522 cases in 3 years. searched for the girl throughout the night. On next The Sikkim High Court has no rape case pending. Sibal morning, they were informed that she was admitted in a said in the aftermath of the Delhi gangrape case, the hospital. Medical report confirmed the girl was raped. The Centre had requested the Chief Justices of the High accused who raped the girl got her admitted to hospital Courts and state Chief Ministers to set up Fast Track when her condition deteriorated and then fled. Courts for speedy trial of pending rape cases with high Youth raped 22-year-old girl for two years. A 22-year pendency and to monitor the progress to ensure their old girl has been raped by a youth for over two-years in timely disposal. 3 STORY OF THE MONTH In most rape cases, suspects knew victims or were related, says CID report As many as 302 of the total 2,473 rapists booked in 1,843 rape cases were relatives of the victim, according to the annual crime data researched by the Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department. In fact, 90 of them were parents; the balance 212 relatives. Rapes by relatives (as distinct from parents) has seen a dramatic 112 per cent jump in 2012 compared with the previous year where 96 rapists were relatives of victims, prompting the state police to identify incest as the "most disturbing crime trend of 2012". The number of parents booked for rape has also increased 27 per cent from 63 in tackle this and this needs to be a collective effort. We also 2011 to 90 in 2012. Further, in 95.55 per cent of the rape need to involve NGOs, women’s groups, schools where we cases in the state, the accused was known to the victim, the need to teach a girl to what extent can a relationship be data showed. In 88 cases, the accused was a paramour with taken forward.’’ rape registered after a failed relationship. , the capital of Maharashtra, also earns the Of the total 2,473 booked for rape in 1,843 rape cases, dubious distinction of having registered 1,851 IPC cases of 675 were victims' neighbours, 436 friends and colleagues, 'crime against women', the maximum amongst all cities in 845 unrelated but known, eight landlords and nine teachers. the state in 2012. This accounts for 10.4 per cent of the total Mumbai CID DGP Sanjeev Dayal sais, ‘‘This is most cruel 17,800 IPC crime against women cases in the state, accord- crime. If a woman cannot trust her own parent, her own ing to data released on Monday by the Maharashtra Police. brother or other relatives, then where are we going as a Compared with the previous year, the number of crimes society. We need to introspect much deeper in the ways to against women in the state have increased by 591 in 2012. SHWETA KATTI'S KRANTI

18-year-old Shweta Katti fought the watch out for featuring in Newsweek, sharing social stigma of growing up in Kamathi-pura, space with Malala Yousufzai. a red light district in Mumbai and managed to Shweta fought to achieve what she become the first person from her neighbour- wanted, from studying in a Marathi-medium hood to get a US scholarship. But her journey school to Commerce in an English-medium wasn’t easy. college. She has a new life today in her home ‘‘I wanted to move away, explore the which she shares with children of other sex larger world and concentrate on my studies.” workers. Just a few short years ago, Shweta was That’s when the team at ‘Apne Aap’ helped way different. her get in touch with Robin Chaurasiya, ‘‘When I was 10 years old, I could not founder of Kranti, a NGO that works towards speak, I did not have an opinion. Why is it that a the rehabilitation of girls from red-light areas. boy can go out at 9 pm and a girl cannot? At “Robin heard me out patiently and instilled a that time I use to think that it was my responsi- lot of confidence in me. In fact, she was the first person, I bility that I should not go out after a certain time. But now if I shared my life story with.” Since last year, Katti has become want, I will go out,’’ Shweta said. While she is getting attuned the face of the organisation. After completing her 12th to all the attention and success, Shweta says she will return grade, she took a gap year and travelled extensively to to India for her mother. For Shweta, her mother’s smile , Nepal and Jharkand to create awareness among matters the most for her. ‘‘Whatever I am is because of being girls about sex education. from the red light area. Now my aim is to study psychology ‘‘I had a low self esteem because I am a dark skinned girl. and open free counselling therapy clinic in the red light area In India, people say dark people are ugly and all. In school, because they do not have any mental healthcare,’’ she said. my friends used to call me cow dung, black bamboo. I started Today Shweta is an inspiration for all her friends here. In hating myself, I thought that I was bad and I am not good,’’ her words, if women are given the opportunity, they can Shweta said. But now she is one of the 25 young women to conquer the world. 4 SC fines MP Govt. for disclosing Rape Victims’ name offence under section 228A of the Indian Penal Code. ‘‘Let a notice be issued to him. A show cause notice that why under The Supreme Court on 5th August, 2013 directed the section 228A of the IPC a case be not registered against him Madhya Pradesh Government to pay Rs 10 lakh as compen- for disclosing the identities of the two rape victims in the sation each to the two school-going girls gangraped last year affidavit. Explanation should be given by him in response to in Betma town of Indore district and issued show cause show cause notice within four weeks on receipt of the notice to a senior police officer as to why criminal case be notice,’’ a bench comprising justices R.M. Lodha and Madan not lodged against him for disclosing the names of victims in B. Lokur said while posting the matter for further consider- his affidavit. ation. The apex court expressed anguish that the affidavit filed on behalf of the state government by Additional SP, Indore, Nirbhaya moves the World’s Biggest Arts Festival Arvind Tiwary, disclosed the victims' names which is an Nirbhaya's plight shook India. It has now moved the world. The chilling story of the 23-year-old woman who was OBITUARY gang-raped inside a moving bus in New Delhi last December Protibaad forum recently has now sent tremors at the world's most prestigious arts noted the passing away of Dr. festival. Internationally acclaimed multiple award-winning Sharmila Rege (1964-2013). Dr. South African theatre director and playwright Yael Farber’s Rege was a noted Indian latest production ‘Nirbhaya’ premiered at the Edinburgh sociologist, feminist scholar and Fringe on 3rd August. It received a standing ovation. author of ‘Writing Caste, Writing About his new production Farber said, ‘‘rape is a com- Gender’. Her work in developing mon illness across the world and in India. But the rape of a Dalit Standpoint Perspective Nirbhaya had the extraordinary power to perforate the has been crucial in opening up shield we hide behind.’’ Farber who had visited Mumbai in feminist debates in India to February this year for workshops on the play added, ‘‘Thou- questions of class, caste, religion and sexuality. In her sands of people who took to the streets of India were last published work, ‘Against the Madness of Manu’, breaking the silence against such sexual violence. The idea of she sought to centralise B.R. Ambedkar’s role in the shame and loss of honour at present is felt by the victim of women’s movement by invoking his ideological fight such a crime. Our play gives the message that the loss of against Brahminical patriarchy, and how the caste honour and face is of the perpetrator who rapes a woman system engenders graded violence against rather than the survivor.’’ women—an issue discussed on Protibaad blog. The testimonial work follows five women on stage Sharmila Rege—Director, K.S. Phule Women’s sharing their story of the sexual violence they faced. They Studies Centre (Department of Gender Studies, Pune portray how Nirbhaya’s death forced them to break their University) since 1991—was an extremely popular silence. The play takes inspiration from the real incident the teacher and a warm human, will always be with us circumstances that led to her boarding the bus, the rape, the through her writings on caste, gender and feminism violence that followed and her subsequent death. and compassion she has shown for activists and Audiences have called the production tremendously researchers. powerful. Farber intends to perform the play in India on the first anniversary of Nirbhaya's death. HELPFUL LINKS ON VAW http://protibaadforum.wordpress.com • https://www.facebook.com/SaveNavaruna http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2013/violence_against_women_20130620/en/ http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence • http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2013/jun/20/women-violence-worldwide-statistics-who CONTACT US

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