SALON

Delhi men take to the streets in solidarity with survivors of sexual violence

As the country reels from news of another brutal gang rape, men come out against sexual violence in India

Topics: Sexual assault, sexual violence, Violence Against Women, delhi gang rape, Madhya Pradesh gang rape, ,

Delhi men take to the streets in solidarity with survivors of sexual violence

The brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old medical student on a moving Delhi bus last December sparked a wave of protests across India, and inspired a newly-strengthened set of laws on rape, street harassment and other forms of violence against women. But ongoing reports of sexual violence, and news of yet another gang rape in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, is proof that — in India and everywhere else — there is no silver bullet for sexual violence.

Indian feminists have long argued that in addition to stronger laws, cultural attitudes towards women, sex and consent — and views about the role of men in stopping violence against women – need to change. And while the country reels from another brutal rape case, a group of men in Delhi are trying to start the shift.

As Joanna Sugden at The Wall Street Journal reports:

India For Integrity… met this weekend along with Delhi Bikers, local motorbike enthusiasts, to offer what they called “a public apology from Delhi men to Delhi women” and to commit to change men’s attitudes towards females.

“In the protests after the Delhi gang rape everyone was talking about punishment for the perpetrators but no one was asking ‘How can I change and make Delhi better and respect women more?’” said Jonathan Abraham, 30, one of the founders of India For Integrity.

The group was set up by friends in the wake of the anti-corruption movement in India in 2011.

“The idea of this event is to get men to think more introspectively and to take responsibility,” added Mr. Abraham who is a corporate trainer in the city.

A Saturday protest had a lower turnout than organizers had hoped for, but their very presence on the streets was a critical step toward raising the profile of male allies against sexual violence, advocates say. And Geom Abraham, a healthcare NGO worker who attended the protest, told the Journal that he was not disheartened by the group’s small numbers. The movement is young, after all. “The ripple will not end here,” he said. “People will hear about it on the Internet and the conversation will continue.”

It’s a ripple that caught the attention of Sanjay Kumar, a newspaper distributor, who decided to join the demonstration after he came across them on the street. “I saw the topic and thought there had been so many protests but this one was different. Instead of pointing the finger at each other you have to look at yourself and it’s really important for men to start by saying sorry.”

Katie McDonough is an assistant editor for Salon, focusing on lifestyle. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salon.com.

Next Article

Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

The week in 10 pics

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • Lisa Montgomery embraces her nephew Thursday after a tornado tore apart her home in Cleburne, Texas. The twister killed six people and destroyed entire swaths of the North Texas town.
    Credit: AP/LM Otero

  • Jack McMahon, the defense attorney for abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, speaks outside the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia Tuesday. His client was convicted of killing three babies in his clinic, and will serve multiple life sentences.
    Credit: AP/Matt Rourke

  • A photo taken Monday captures Vice President Joe Biden's response to a Milwaukee second-grader's innovative proposal to end America's epidemic of gun violence. This guy!
    Credit: AP/Jenny Aicher

  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., flanked by a grouper-eyed Michele Bachmann, addresses the IRS' admission that it targeted Tea Party groups in advance of the 2012 election. In an op-ed for CNN Thursday, the Kentucky senator slammed the president for his faux outrage.
    Credit: AP/Molly Riley

  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller is sworn in on Capitol Hill Friday. Miller testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the extra scrutiny the agency gave conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
    Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

  • Attorney General Eric Holder pauses as he testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Holder is under fire, among other things, for the Justice Department's gathering of phone records at the Associated Press.
    Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster

  • O.J. Simpson sits during an evidentiary hearing at Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, Nev., Thursday. Simpson, who is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence in state prison for armed robbery and kidnapping, is using a writ of habeas corpus to seek a new trial.
    Credit: AP/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Jeff Scheid

  • Major Tom to ground control: On Sunday astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded the first music video from space, a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."
    Credit: AP/NASA/Chris Hadfield

  • When it rains it pours. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inexplicably inspiring an #umbrellagate Twitter meme.
    Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin

  • A smoke plume rises high above a road block at the intersection of County A and Ross Road east of Solon Springs, Wis., Tuesday. No injuries were reported, but the the wildfire caused evacuations across northwestern Wisconsin.
    Credit: AP/The Duluth News-Tribune/Clint Austin

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Comments

1 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>