Freedom Miles 3 : Gopalpura to Okalipuram on Sat, Jan 12th (Today!)

Gather at Magadi Road 5th cross bus stop (Gopalpura) at 6 PM. Start walking at 6:30 PM

I am reproducing the email I got (because I have no time to write myself as today is Skirt the Issue!! Yayyy!). 

This is organised by 'Men against Sexual Violence, Men for Gender Justice'

Let's come together, walk through our neighbourhoods in freedom and without fear, talk about the violence women face every day, ask ourselves how we contribute to it, raise our collective voice against it, take action to address it and keep a constant vigil.

Let’s have a look at the statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau, 2011 for Bangalore city. 

Rape: 97 | Dowry deaths: 53 | Molestation: 250 | Sexual harassment: 40 | Cruelty by husbands and relatives: 458 | Kidnapping and Abduction of women and girls: 206

We also need to remind ourselves of the number of cases that go unreported

Let’s ask ourselves how we as a people, a society create and sustain the mindset that leads to rape. Let’s ask ourselves how power creates violence. Men who stand for justice and equality are ashamed, as a large section of men in our country are complicit in the abuse of women – rape, sexual harassment, domestic violence, economic and social discrimination.

Sexual violence is a gender-based crime, in which men use power against women

We get strength by seeing that there are countless men who share this anger, but we assert that sexual assault and sexual harassment of women occurs with frightening regularity.

As Urvashi Butalia said "It is important we raise our collective voice for women, but let’s raise it for all women, let’s raise it so that no woman, no matter that she be poor, rich, urban, rural, Dalit, Muslim, Hindu, or whatever, ever, in the future, has to face sexual violence, and no man assumes that because of the system and people’s mindsets, he can simply get away with it".(Urvashi Butalia)

Freedom Miles is a neighbourhood action of For Gender Justice – a campaign to raise our collective voice against violence women face on a daily basis and take action to address it. It is an initiative of Aneka, Alternative Law Forum, Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Indian Social Institute (ISI), New Socialist Alternative (CWI-India), Open Space, Praja Rajakiya Vedike (PRV), Radio Active CR 90.4 Mhz, ReachLaw, Sangama, Students Islamic organisation (SIO), Vimochana, Voice for Human Rights and many other groups and individuals. It is an inclusive space and all like minded groups and individuals are welcome to join. 

They are available at: Mob: 9632223460 / 9632506195/ 9483950202 | forgenderjustice.blr@gmail.com | facebook.com/ForGenderJustice |twitter.com/GenderJustBlr