Around four hundred people mostly young women took to the streets along the Marina beach past midnight demanding a safer environment for women across the country to move freely without being raped as they put it.
Kritika, who raised slogans closer to the Gandhi statue on the beach road, told NDTV: “we are as much citizens of this country just like men. Why should women live in fear of being raped? We should be able to fearlessly move around in any part of the country at any point in time, as Gandhiji dreamt”.
The rally began just around an hour after Home Minister Mr Shinde announced that the Union Government was considering amendment to the Indian Penal Code to award Capital Punishment for rape in the rarest of rare cases. “What’s rarest of rare case in a rape? Every such offender must be awarded death sentence,” a woman protester told NDTV.
Another woman added, “Chemical castration could be a deterrent, such men found guilty of rape should undergo the same trauma and agony of the victim”.
Walking along the Marina many also feel announcements like this are mere tokenism and would serve no purpose until efforts are made to stop denigration of women. “Look at how women are portrayed in our films, television sops and even television commercials. This denigration should stop. They should portray women in a dignified way, otherwise boys will not respect women,” a protester said. She added, “Films and the media largely only provoke and promote harassment of women”.
“The change should begin at home. Fathers should respect their wives. Parents should give equal importance to daughters. Parents should teach their young sons to respect women. Nothing will change otherwise,” a college student said.
On Saturday, police in Nagapattinam district arrested two minor boys for allegedly raping a minor girl, who was alone at home. Down south in Tuticorin, police also arrested two other men for allegedly murdering a school girl after attempting to rape her.
“We just feel scared to send our daughters alone. But how can we deny them their right to wear what they like and go out when they feel like?” a mother argued.
Certainly Chennai is speaking out, in resonance with the anger and helplessness being demonstrated by ordinary people in the capital and around the country, shocked by the brutal gang-rape of a medical student, Amanat (NOT her real name), in a moving bus in New Delhi.
(Story un-edited and taken from http://www.ndtv.com/)
Amazing feats made by women. When was the last time we stood for something we believed in. I’m not saying Riot, but cause some noise on the things we deserve! – Le’Anne
Today's Black Women 