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“Our Present Mentality Is The Worst Culture In The World”: Delhi Rape Quick Views

By Youth Ki Awaaz in Society
21st April, 2013

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Vishakha Dahiya:
Delhi, the capital of India. Rather, the “rape” capital of India. This feeling of utter disgust is beyond what we could possibly express in words. We can never fathom how a victim as young as 5-years-old is struggling through it. We worry about hundreds of national issues like female foeticide, dowry, and child marriage. You should now clearly know the reason why it has cropped up. It is not because of the rape cases but how females are treated and thought of, in our country. No strict actions against the rapists, is a great motivation for those who attempt to do such inhumane activities. What I demand from my country, is a promise to come forward forgetting all the political or social differences and join our hands to fight against this. We have to get this social disgrace out of our roots.

Shruti Chaturvedi:
Dear Men,
I hope to find you all in good spirits and health. Or maybe not. Because I am not. I have no energy or light to write a rebellious anything. More, because all such posts in the past didn’t make any sense because evilness is being edified every next day.

Coming to the point, dear men, you are really dear to me. I have admired a lot of you since my childhood. But since some months I have been looking down on all of you. A few wise women had told me, “Mard hote hi aise hai.” I had ignored them back then. But after continuous rapes, Nirbhaya case, Ahmadabad’s 2-year-old girl’s rape, the recent 18 year old girl’s rape and a black-spot on humanity by the rape of a 5-year-old girl now, I dislike you all. I get a feeling that I should reconsider the wise women’s statements. I have lost the count of all rapes happening and being shown on the TV and written in newspapers. But my disliking for you is increasing daily.

I do not want to turn into a woman who sees every man as a potential rapist. I do not say all men are rapists. I have realized that writing on ‘Society needs to change‘, ‘Hang the rapist’, etc. won’t make any sense. Because they never did. I am not pleading or putting my gender on a weaker front, because we aren’t as we don’t rape. Blaming government, police, etc. will also not help either of us. Hence, I request you, because you are the only hope left.

Please don’t rape any one. Please don’t make sexist remarks on any women walking past you or sitting next to your table. Please ensure that your friends, sons, brothers, nephews, neighbour’s sons, your office mate, your school mate, the paan wala, the peon, the boss…please ensure they too don’t rape. Please tell your buddies who entertain such things to stop at that moment because it really isn’t a cool thing to do. Some of them might point you as impotent or a cry-baby because you aren’t indulging in the fun they are having. Don’t ignore them. Tell them they score 100 times more on impotency score than you because they find rapes and objectifying women interesting. Ask them to get a life. I do not want to hate you. Please make me feel safe when you are around. Please earn your respect in my eyes back.

Your fellow-mate on earth,
A Woman.

Sadaf Haroon:
Just wanted to highlight that how diverse is the society we live in! Friday morning, I saw small girls being served delicacies for Ram Navmi and on the same day in the evening I got to know about a little 5 year old, brutally raped by her neighbour. She was an innocent girl. A baby! She didn’t know the difference between wrong and right and that man raped her? Kept her in bondage for 4 days! How can people be so insensitive? I feel like running away from this country. Elections are near and we all should vote for the ones who can dispense correct justice. If that 5 year old can be raped then you too can! Speak Up or be the next!

Shashank:
In a country where women are considered Goddesses, in a country which speaks highly about its culture, in a country which accommodates so much diversity, in India is anything worth praising for. The sex ratio of India is so skewed. People have sex determination tests and if they find out they are having a girl child they kill her. For what: Remember your wife, mother, sister, friend everyone are females only? What if everyone kills the girl child? Men of this country who proudly protect their sisters and mothers, what happens to you when you see someone else’s mother or sister? Aren’t they important to someone else too? Rape is the most pathetic thing ever. In most scenarios the girl survives but the impact the rape leaves her shattered for the rest of her life. And then the rapists come with their excuse She was dressed provocatively or she was asking for it. Even if a girl is naked it’s her choice and that doesn’t mean she is inviting for rape. Even if a girl walks alone at midnight that doesn’t mean you can take advantage of her. Then tell me about the rape of the 5 year old. Was she dressed provocatively? Was she hanging out alone late at night? Was she out with the wrong friends? These are all just excuses to make rapists feel fine. And Indians who proudly boast about their so called culture, I say countries without any cultures are better if they know how to treat their women. Whatever our past culture maybe we all got to accept our present mentality is the worst culture in the world.

You must be to comment.

  1. Mayuri Sinha

    I have been witnessing outrage over rape in India since the Nirbhaya case, India protests, India fights,India raises her voice and then India shuts up! For Indian men to stop ‘raping’, Indian mothers, fathers, grandmothers, sisters, wives, aunts and uncles need to STOP making them feel like gods gift to this planet! Just by screaming stop raping the rapes wont stop. Rapes will stop if we aim at creating a civilized society that respects its members as individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, caste,religion etc. The government should aim at providing ‘Education’ and not just ‘Literacy’. Before becoming an economically rich nation, we should aim at becoming a socially evolved nation. If the society is evolved it will always find ways of earning money the right way….

  2. harish

    @Shruti :

    What’s wrong with you? When was the last time you wrote an open letter to muslims asking them to stop terrorizing other people? Have you told them ” I’m not saying you all are crazy lunatic terrorists, but please don’t kill us, please don’t bomb us….Please don’t execute us, please don’t fly aeroplanes into our buildings….Also please ensure that your sons and daughters don’t do any of that stuff”

    Look lady , I’m an adult male. I am NOT responsible for the actions of any other adult male. I don’t rape and don’t tell others to rape. I don’t think rapists are going to listen to me. And regarding defending the society, it’s usually men who do that. Men don’t hesitate to kill other men who do wrong and harm the society. The vast majority of the police and the army are men, and they kill and get killed for other men and very importantly , women too. There is no gang here. Being male isn’t an ideology , it is genetics. So calm down

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An ambassador and trained facilitator under Eco Femme (a social enterprise working towards menstrual health in south India), Sanjina is also an active member of the MHM Collective- India and Menstrual Health Alliance- India. She has conducted Menstrual Health sessions in multiple government schools adopted by Rotary District 3240 as part of their WinS project in rural Bengal. She has also delivered training of trainers on SRHR, gender, sexuality and Menstruation for Tomorrow’s Foundation, Vikramshila Education Resource Society, Nirdhan trust and Micro Finance, Tollygunj Women In Need, Paint It Red in Kolkata.

Now as an MH Fellow with YKA, she’s expanding her impressive scope of work further by launching a campaign to facilitate the process of ensuring better menstrual health and SRH services for women residing in correctional homes in West Bengal. The campaign will entail an independent study to take stalk of the present conditions of MHM in correctional homes across the state and use its findings to build public support and political will to take the necessary action.

Saurabh has been associated with YKA as a user and has consistently been writing on the issue MHM and its intersectionality with other issues in the society. Now as an MHM Fellow with YKA, he’s launched the Right to Period campaign, which aims to ensure proper execution of MHM guidelines in Delhi’s schools.

The long-term aim of the campaign is to develop an open culture where menstruation is not treated as a taboo. The campaign also seeks to hold the schools accountable for their responsibilities as an important component in the implementation of MHM policies by making adequate sanitation infrastructure and knowledge of MHM available in school premises.

Read more about his campaign.

Harshita is a psychologist and works to support people with mental health issues, particularly adolescents who are survivors of violence. Associated with the Azadi Foundation in UP, Harshita became an MHM Fellow with YKA, with the aim of promoting better menstrual health.

Her campaign #MeriMarzi aims to promote menstrual health and wellness, hygiene and facilities for female sex workers in UP. She says, “Knowledge about natural body processes is a very basic human right. And for individuals whose occupation is providing sexual services, it becomes even more important.”

Meri Marzi aims to ensure sensitised, non-discriminatory health workers for the needs of female sex workers in the Suraksha Clinics under the UPSACS (Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society) program by creating more dialogues and garnering public support for the cause of sex workers’ menstrual rights. The campaign will also ensure interventions with sex workers to clear misconceptions around overall hygiene management to ensure that results flow both ways.

Read more about her campaign.

MH Fellow Sabna comes with significant experience working with a range of development issues. A co-founder of Project Sakhi Saheli, which aims to combat period poverty and break menstrual taboos, Sabna has, in the past, worked on the issue of menstruation in urban slums of Delhi with women and adolescent girls. She and her team also released MenstraBook, with menstrastories and organised Menstra Tlk in the Delhi School of Social Work to create more conversations on menstruation.

With YKA MHM Fellow Vineet, Sabna launched Menstratalk, a campaign that aims to put an end to period poverty and smash menstrual taboos in society. As a start, the campaign aims to begin conversations on menstrual health with five hundred adolescents and youth in Delhi through offline platforms, and through this community mobilise support to create Period Friendly Institutions out of educational institutes in the city.

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A student from Delhi School of Social work, Vineet is a part of Project Sakhi Saheli, an initiative by the students of Delhi school of Social Work to create awareness on Menstrual Health and combat Period Poverty. Along with MHM Action Fellow Sabna, Vineet launched Menstratalk, a campaign that aims to put an end to period poverty and smash menstrual taboos in society.

As a start, the campaign aims to begin conversations on menstrual health with five hundred adolescents and youth in Delhi through offline platforms, and through this community mobilise support to create Period Friendly Institutions out of educational institutes in the city.

Find out more about the campaign here.

A native of Bhagalpur district – Bihar, Shalini Jha believes in equal rights for all genders and wants to work for a gender-equal and just society. In the past she’s had a year-long association as a community leader with Haiyya: Organise for Action’s Health Over Stigma campaign. She’s pursuing a Master’s in Literature with Ambedkar University, Delhi and as an MHM Fellow with YKA, recently launched ‘Project अल्हड़ (Alharh)’.

She says, “Bihar is ranked the lowest in India’s SDG Index 2019 for India. Hygienic and comfortable menstruation is a basic human right and sustainable development cannot be ensured if menstruators are deprived of their basic rights.” Project अल्हड़ (Alharh) aims to create a robust sensitised community in Bhagalpur to collectively spread awareness, break the taboo, debunk myths and initiate fearless conversations around menstruation. The campaign aims to reach at least 6000 adolescent girls from government and private schools in Baghalpur district in 2020.

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A psychologist and co-founder of a mental health NGO called Customize Cognition, Ritika forayed into the space of menstrual health and hygiene, sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights and gender equality as an MHM Fellow with YKA. She says, “The experience of working on MHM/SRHR and gender equality has been an enriching and eye-opening experience. I have learned what’s beneath the surface of the issue, be it awareness, lack of resources or disregard for trans men, who also menstruate.”

The Transmen-ses campaign aims to tackle the issue of silence and disregard for trans men’s menstruation needs, by mobilising gender sensitive health professionals and gender neutral restrooms in Lucknow.

Read more about the campaign here.

A Computer Science engineer by education, Nitisha started her career in the corporate sector, before realising she wanted to work in the development and social justice space. Since then, she has worked with Teach For India and Care India and is from the founding batch of Indian School of Development Management (ISDM), a one of its kind organisation creating leaders for the development sector through its experiential learning post graduate program.

As a Youth Ki Awaaz Menstrual Health Fellow, Nitisha has started Let’s Talk Period, a campaign to mobilise young people to switch to sustainable period products. She says, “80 lakh women in Delhi use non-biodegradable sanitary products, generate 3000 tonnes of menstrual waste, that takes 500-800 years to decompose; which in turn contributes to the health issues of all menstruators, increased burden of waste management on the city and harmful living environment for all citizens.

Let’s Talk Period aims to change this by

Find out more about her campaign here.

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A former Assistant Secretary with the Ministry of Women and Child Development in West Bengal for three months, Lakshmi Bhavya has been championing the cause of menstrual hygiene in her district. By associating herself with the Lalana Campaign, a holistic menstrual hygiene awareness campaign which is conducted by the Anahat NGO, Lakshmi has been slowly breaking taboos when it comes to periods and menstrual hygiene.

A Gender Rights Activist working with the tribal and marginalized communities in india, Srilekha is a PhD scholar working on understanding body and sexuality among tribal girls, to fill the gaps in research around indigenous women and their stories. Srilekha has worked extensively at the grassroots level with community based organisations, through several advocacy initiatives around Gender, Mental Health, Menstrual Hygiene and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) for the indigenous in Jharkhand, over the last 6 years.

Srilekha has also contributed to sustainable livelihood projects and legal aid programs for survivors of sex trafficking. She has been conducting research based programs on maternal health, mental health, gender based violence, sex and sexuality. Her interest lies in conducting workshops for young people on life skills, feminism, gender and sexuality, trauma, resilience and interpersonal relationships.

A Guwahati-based college student pursuing her Masters in Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bidisha started the #BleedwithDignity campaign on the technology platform Change.org, demanding that the Government of Assam install
biodegradable sanitary pad vending machines in all government schools across the state. Her petition on Change.org has already gathered support from over 90000 people and continues to grow.

Bidisha was selected in Change.org’s flagship program ‘She Creates Change’ having run successful online advocacy
campaigns, which were widely recognised. Through the #BleedwithDignity campaign; she organised and celebrated World Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2019 in Guwahati, Assam by hosting a wall mural by collaborating with local organisations. The initiative was widely covered by national and local media, and the mural was later inaugurated by the event’s chief guest Commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) Debeswar Malakar, IAS.

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