March On For Aadhi Aabaadi!!

Delhi’s young men and women, students and youth, have been out on the streets for the past 10 days, demanding justice for their sister, who was gangraped and brutally assaulted in a moving bus in Delhi, and strong action against violence on women. Our peaceful movement has been met with lathis, water cannons and tear gas.

Our struggle is for justice against all violence against women, for ensuring urgent changes in the system that ensure strict and swift punishment of the culprits. Our struggle is for the freedom of women to live as they wish – without fear.

Women are saying today – Don’t tell us how to dress and how to behave! Don’t tell us at what time of night to return home! Don’t tell us not to be bold and brave! Don’t tell us not to have male friends or marry whom we like! Sexual violence cannot be used as a threat to punish us if we disobey the laws of male supremacy. There is a long series of statements by police heads, ministers and other people in positions of power which hold women themselves responsible for provoking and inviting sexual assault. Even now, the Congress’ Andhra Pradesh chief and transport minister of the state made the shocking statement about the Delhi gangrape case, that “We got freedom at midnight – does that mean women are free to roam at night? The girl should not have boarded a bus that had few passengers.” We demand that such people in public positions who make such statements must QUIT their posts!

We also condemn the BJP leader Sushma Swaraj’ statement that a rape survivor is a ‘zinda laash’! A rape survivor is a brave fighter – and it is the society that tolerates and makes excuses for rape that should be ashamed! The BJP and Sangh Parivar’s goons assault women who wear jeans and celebrate Valentine’s Day. Such patriarchal goons have no right to talk about the rights of women.

Only 26 in Every 100 Rapists Are Punished – Why?

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows that incidents of rape in the country have increased by 791% since 1971 (murder increased by just 240%, and robbery by 178%, kidnapping increased by 630%). And conviction rates for rape dipped from 41% in 1971 to 26% in 2011. Conviction rates for other crimes against women – dowry death, cruelty by husband and relatives, trafficking, molestation, sexual harassment, kidnapping – are similarly very low. Needless to mention the huge number of cases that go unreported due to the fear of social stigma and hostile justice system.

The reasons for such low conviction rate are embedded at every layer of our investigative and justice system: a weak law against rape and sexual violence, a gender-insensitive and ill-trained police force with no laid down procedure of accountability, ill-equipped hospitals and courts that are unfriendly to women and gender-biased. As a result, perpetrators of sexual violence enjoy a sense of impunity, a sense that they will go unpunished. It is high time that we demand immediate changes at every level of the system to remove this sense of impunity and ensure the certainty of conviction and justice.  

Stricter Gender-Sensitive Laws for Swift and Sure Punishment: Hold a Special Session of Parliament without delay to enact comprehensive laws against Rape and Sexual Violence (including provisions for marital rape and rape by security forces), Sexual Harassment, and ‘Honour’ Crimes in consultation with the women’s movement.

The Judiciary: Fast track courts for all cases of sexual violence (not only rape but sexual harassment too) must be set up, with verdicts to be delivered within 3 months. An end to horrific gender insensitive verdicts (for instance sermonising the rape victim to marry her rapist). Judiciary needs an overhaul in its approach. Any judge who has made remarks or passed judgements which justify any violence on women and go against gender equality, must be made to quit.

Police: Gender sensitization training modules including procedural instruction and training as well as well publicised protocol in all police stations for dealing with rape complaints. Proper infrastructure and rape investigation kits to be made available in all police stations. Punitive measures including dismissal in case of failure to register cases of rape, sexual violence and sexual harassment.

Hospitals: A separate ward for medical and psychological care of rape victims and proper infrastructure for handling pathological-forensic investigations in hospitals which is crucial for conviction.

Ending the Culture of Justifying Gender Violence: An end to ANY justification of sexual violence, ‘honour’ crimes or domestic violence. Those public servants including elected representatives or police officers or judges who indulge in victim-blaming must be made to quit.

Restorative Support: Social, medical, legal, psychological, and economic support – at Government’s cost – for rape survivors.

Prevention and Education: Gender Equality be made an essential part of the school curriculum, to be drawn up in national consultation with women’s movement activists in the field. The aim should be to challenge misogyny, patriarchal attitudes, and hostility to women’s freedom and rights, head-on, on a war-footing.

 We join the ‘Justice For Women Now!’ campaign in demanding:

1. Sack the Delhi Police Commissioner!
2. Ensure Justice in 1 Lakh Pending Rape Cases Across the Country in 100 Days! Swift and Sure Punishment in Every Crime Against Women!
3. Announce and publicise gender-just protocols for FIRs and police investigation of crimes against women! Punish police who violate the protocols and display gender bias or victim blaming
4. Announce a process of consultation with women’s organisations and students for a Special Session of Parliament in order to review and enact robust, democratic, gender-sensitive laws on crimes against women, including ‘honour’ crimes.
5. Ensure Massive Expansion of Safe Public Transport for Women

We are saying the UPA Government must either COMMIT OR QUIT!

Friends, while we agitate in Delhi, let us also not forget that our sisters in far flung parts are even more vulnerable to sexual violence, especially if they are from oppressed sections of the society. Let us demand justice for adivasi Soni Sori (raped by Chhattisgarh police and whose rapist got a gallantry award!); for Manorama Devi of Manipur, raped and killed by Army men in 2004; for Neelofer and Aasiya of Kashmir, raped by Army men; for Priyanka Bhotmange – gangraped and killed because she was Dalit; for Bilkis Bano, who was raped by communal mobs in Gujarat in 2002. In all these cases, the Governments have protected the rapists and killers shamelessly.