Category Archives: Feminism

Culture, Democracy, Feminism, Politics, Right watch, Violence/Conflict

Long Live the Eternal Feminist, Anti-Fascist Fire and Flower Gauri! – A Letter from ALIFA

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Following is an Open Letter from ALIFA (All India Feminist Alliance ) to Gauri Lankesh, marking 7 years of her cowardly killing. The Open Letter is in both English and Kannada. The Kannada version follows after the English one. ALIFA is linked to NAPM (National Alliance of People’s Movements). ಆತ್ಮೀಯ ಗೌರಿ ಲಂಕೇಶ್ ಅವರ ಹೇಡಿತನದ ಹತ್ಯೆಗೆ 7 ವರ್ಷಗಳಾಗಿ, ಅವರಿಗೆ ಅಲಿಫಾದಿಂದ (ALIFA) ಬಹಿರಂಗ ಪತ್ರ

Gauri Lankesh, image courtesy Asianet Newsable

Gauri, dear sister, dear comrade!

It has been seven years. We still remember the day, the night! 5th September, 2017 – in fact the very moments – when the ‘news’ hit us. Gauri Lankesh shot in cold blood. Details poured in. Number of bullets. At your residence. By two men. We reeled with shock under immeasurable grief, loss and helplessness. Abandoning so many unfinished conversations, you left a void in all our hearts, the shape and size of a star!

Continue reading Long Live the Eternal Feminist, Anti-Fascist Fire and Flower Gauri! – A Letter from ALIFA →
Debates, Feminism, Government, Left watch

Labour Rights Violations Revealed by the Hema Committee Report: A Public Discussion — Althea Women’s Collective

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This is the recording of a public discussion of a set of proposals to be submitted to the Kerala Labour and Skills Department, addressing the issues raised by the Hema Committee Report which probed the conditions of women workers in Malayalam cinema. The committee was set up in the wake of the kidnapping and sexual assault of a female actor which was allegedly orchestrated by an influential male actor as an act of revenge. Outraged by the attack on their colleague, some women actors in Malayalam cinema came together to form the Women in Cinema Collective. It was their pressure that resulted in the formation of the committee. The committee took up this truly challenging assignment and completed it in December 2019, but the Kerala government delayed releasing it till last month. Only a redacted version was released which led to an uproar about the way the government seemed determined to protect the accused men, rumoured to be the most powerful actors and others in the industry. The uproar led to resignations of powerful peddlers of misogyny and upper-caste violence in the Malayalam cinema industry — notably, Ranjith, Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy and the en masse resignation of the executive committee of AMMA, the gatekeeping organisation set up and controlled by dominant elements in the industry. The report’s release encouraged many less-prominent female artists to complain against powerful actors. The resignation of Mukesh, actor and CPM MLA has been demanded strongly by feminists, but the CPM has refused to order him to step down.

The Althea Women’s Collective is a feminist group based in Thiruvananthapuram. This discussion is based on the proposals they intend to add to a petition to be submitted to the Kerala State Labour and Skills Department.

Bad ideas, Debates, Feminism, Left watch, Politics

Feminist Solidarity in the Times of the Hema Committee Report

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The Hema Committee Report has led to a welcome flurry of feminist activism in Kerala, both among the mainstream feminists as well as others. All political viewpoints within Malayali feminism have stood strongly with the WCC and sought to further their fight, with the implicit agreement that the WCC should not perceived as responsible for all further work.

Continue reading Feminist Solidarity in the Times of the Hema Committee Report →
Bad ideas, Debates, Feminism, Government, Left watch

This is what a (minor) Revolution feels like: Thoughts on the Collapse of AMMA in Kerala

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So, the AMMA vanishes.

Letting out one last enormous lie (sigh) that it was taking ‘moral responsibility’ for the allegations of sexual violence and harassment against the shameless men that it protected , the monster passed, with all the executive members resigning together. A new executive committee will be elected two months later by the general body, they said.

Continue reading This is what a (minor) Revolution feels like: Thoughts on the Collapse of AMMA in Kerala →
Democracy, Everyday Life, Feminism, Politics, Violence/Conflict

Freedom, not surveillance! Reclaim the Night Campaign Kolkata responds to measures suggested by the West Bengal government

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Statement by Reclaim the Night Campaign, Kolkata 

‘Reclaim the Night’ is a mass movement demanding justice for the RG Kar rape and murder incident. It has united many people across West Bengal, across the country and even outside India in several places. It has brought people out onto the streets, united them in rage, and one could say it is making – not “history” – but her/queer/trans* story. This movement has brought school and college students, women working in call centres, nurses, doctors, health workers and women working in several other sectors out onto the streets to protest. Women from many villages and rural areas have added their voices to this movement and thousands upon thousands of people have occupied the streets at night, throughout the night, till the wee hours of morning. Muslim women have stepped out to reclaim the streets in several areas and Trans- queer persons have taken part and brought forward their demands. Everyone’s participation has really lifted ‘Reclaim the Night’ to a different height.

Our main objectives are to secure justice in all unresolved cases of sexual violence, including the RG Kar incident, and to secure safety and freedom for women and communities of marginalized genders/sexuality everywhere and at all times. We extend solidarity to all those who are working towards achieving this goal.

From what the combined voice of the movement has upheld, we wish to respond and clarify our standpoint regarding the statement made by Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Chief Administrative Advisor to the Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee.

Continue reading Freedom, not surveillance! Reclaim the Night Campaign Kolkata responds to measures suggested by the West Bengal government →

Feminism, Sports

Vinesh Phogat – You are our champion! Feminist Solidarity with Vinesh

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प्यारी विनेश,

 

बधाई हो!!

 

तुम हारी नहीं हो, तुम तो हमारी हीरो हो और बनी रहोगी। कल तुमने पेरिस में करके दिखा दिया कि असल में तुम क्या हो। तुम्हारी दक्षता का कोई मुकाबला नही है, और तुम्हारे लिए कोई ऊंचाई ऊंची नहीं है।

 

इस अयोग्य घोषित किए जाने से मायूस मत होना। हम समझते हैं कि वजन का ध्यान रखने की ज़िम्मेदारी तुम्हारी नहीं थी। इस बात की जांच होनी चाहिए कि इसमें गलती कहाँ और किससे हुई है। हम तुम्हें अयोग्य घोषित किए जाने के लिए अपना विरोध व्यक्त करते हैं और यह कहना चाहते हैं कि तुन इस वक़्त बिल्कुल दुखी मत होना।

 

तुम ऊंची उड़ान भरती रहोगी, उम्मीद मत छोड़ना। तुम हमारी हीरो हो और बनी रहोगी।

 

पेरिस से लौट कर जब आओगी तो हम सब जंतर-मंतर पर एक बार फिर मिलेंगे और फिर जश्न मनाएंगे तुम्हारी सफलता का।

 

मेडल मिलना, नहीं मिलना, जीत का पैमाना नही है। सफलता औऱ जीत का पैमाना तुम्हारी दृढ़ता और हिम्मत है l

 

भारत के और दुनिया भर के न्याय-प्रिय  और नारीवादी साथी तुम्हारे साथ हमेशा थे, हैं और रहेंगे! ✊🏽

 

हम हैं,

 Dear Vinesh,

 

Congratulations!!

 

You have not lost. You are our hero and will remain so. Yesterday in Paris you showed what you really are. Your skill is unmatched and there is no height that you can’t scale.

 

Please don’t be disappointed by this ‘disqualification’. We understand that it was not your responsibility to take care of your weight. There should be an investigation as to where and by whom the mistake has been made. We express our protest against your disqualification and would like to request you not to feel sad in this moment.

 

You will keep flying high, do not lose hope. You are and will remain our hero.

 

When you return from Paris, we will all meet once again at Jantar Mantar and celebrate your success.

 

Winning a medal or not is not the measure of victory. The measure of success and victory is your determination and courage.

 

Justice-loving and feminist saathis of India and around the world were, are and will always be with you! ✊🏽

 

We are 

 

Endorsed by: Continue reading Vinesh Phogat – You are our champion! Feminist Solidarity with Vinesh →

Culture, Debates, Democracy, Feminism, Religion

How Women Were Publicly Humiliated in a Programme in India and Nobody Protested

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Israel’s unending war against Palestine – with due support from the Western World – is widely known.

Less known is the fact that representatives of extreme patriarchal Judaism have unleashed a war of a different kind against women. (1)

With their growing ascent in social life their emphasis has been increasingly on segregation of women in public domain….including their being bundled to the back side of public transport buses. (2)

Much has already been written about situation of women in Muslim majority countries.

Right from they being denied right to education, one can cite numerous examples about the laws and customs which prohibit or restrict their participation in education, job or other professions or they being prohibited from mixed gatherings. (3)

India, which claims itself to be a tolerant country – which is celebrating 75 years of its ushering into Republic this year… had a glimpse of what it means to be women in a set up dominated by extreme patriarchal notions. ( Read the full article here :https://countercurrents.org/2024/07/how-women-were-publicly-humiliated-in-a-programme-in-india-and-nobody-protested/)

Culture, Feminism, Genders

Surokkha Istehar, Forum of Theatre Workers Memorandum to Pashchimbanga Natya Akademy on Sexual Harassment

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SUROKKHA ISTEHAR (Safety Manifesto), is a recently formed forum of theatre workers and individuals and organizations concerned with gender justice in Bangla Theatre. The forum was formed following a raging recent controversy arising from providing a forum to an accused in many sexual harassment cases. A deputation of Surokkha Istehar submitted a memorandum to the member Secretary, Paschimbanga Natya Akademi (the WB government body invested with the recognition and welfare of Bengal theatre groups) seeking immediate information about sexual harassment redressal mechanisms within the ambit of the Akademi, fair representation of all segments of the theatre workers’ community in the constitution of the Akademi as well as accountability of theatre groups and the Akademi in ensuring persons accused of sexual harrasment do not occupy positions of power within the Akademi, etc. 

Published below is the memorandum, containing more than 900 signatures, which also announces the launch of the forum, which seeks to offer assistance to survivors of sexual harassment in theatre spaces, to ensure gender justice in Bengali theatre, among others. 

Deputation of Surokkha Istehar submitting their Memorandum to the Pashchimbanga Natya Akademy

The Memorandum submitted to Pashchimbanga Natya Akademi

Madam/ Sir,

Continue reading Surokkha Istehar, Forum of Theatre Workers Memorandum to Pashchimbanga Natya Akademy on Sexual Harassment →
Empire/ Imperialism, Feminism, Politics, State Terror, Violence/Conflict

Release Prof Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian of Hebrew University Immediately

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A Statement by Academics Worldwide on the Arrest of Hebrew University Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian

Around 5 pm on Thursday, April 18, 2024, Hebrew University professor and internationally renowned feminist scholar Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian was arrested by Israeli police at her home in the Old City of Jerusalem on the charge of incitement to violence. The police raided and searched her home and she is currently undergoing harsh and dehumanizing interrogation. Her lawyer said the charges against her are serious. Information about her release is unknown. Palestinians in Israeli detention suffer physical, emotional, and mental violence. Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian, who holds both Israeli and U.S. citizenship, has been subjected to violent repression and harassment by the Hebrew University for speaking out against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Furthermore, she was suspended from her teaching duties in March, though later reinstated once it became clear that there is no basis for the allegations against her. 

Continue reading Release Prof Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian of Hebrew University Immediately →
Democracy, Feminism, Government, Islamophobia, Law, Left watch

Empowered to Death? Tales of Empowerment and Death from Kerala

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Last month, on the 21st of January 2024, a young woman, an assistant public prosecutor at a lower court in the district of Kollam in Kerala, took her own life, after sending out one last desperate plea — calling for justice after her death at least. She revealed through audio clips that fighting for justice at her workplace had worn her out completely. Her words brought out the rot infecting the institution of public prosecution (the stench of it is very much in the air, actually, unbearable it has become, though our political leaders and social justice motormouths seem to largely ignore it).

Continue reading Empowered to Death? Tales of Empowerment and Death from Kerala →
Culture, Feminism, Genders, Islamophobia, Law, Religion, Right watch

उत्तराखंड महिला समूहों का बयान उत्तराखंड समान नागरिक संहिता (यूसीसी ड्राफ्ट बिल)

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समान नागरिक संहिता के विधेयक के मसौदे पर उत्तराखंड महिला समूहों का यह बयान हम यहाँ छाप रहे हैं ताकि इस ख़तरनाक़ बिल पर और बहस हो सके।

6 फरवरी 2024

उत्तराखंड महिला समूह और प्रतिनिधि राज्य विधानसभा में पेश किए गए इस विधेयक को पूरी तरह से खारिज करते हैं।

  • संवैधानिक व्यवहार को अपराध बनाने वाला, नैतिक पुलिसिंग का परिचय देने वाला विधेयक अस्वीकार्य है।
  • प्रस्तुत हिंदूकृत समान संहिता विधेयक का एजेंडा सभी वर्गों के परिवारों में असमानताओं को दूर करना नहीं है, बल्कि मुस्लिम अल्पसंख्यक और वयस्कों के स्वायत्त व्यवहार को अपराधी बनाना है।
  •  मांग करें कि यह स्थायी समिति के पास जाए।
Continue reading उत्तराखंड महिला समूहों का बयान उत्तराखंड समान नागरिक संहिता (यूसीसी ड्राफ्ट बिल) →
Culture, Feminism, Government, Islamophobia, Religion, Right watch

Uttarakhand Women’s Groups’ Statement on the Uttarakhand UCC Draft Bill

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[We are publishing this response of the Uttarakhand Women’s Groups to the Uttarakhand Draft for initiating further debate.]

  • The Uttarakhand women’s groups and representatives reject this Bill in toto, in the form introduced in the State Assembly.
  • A Bill criminalizing constitutional behaviour, and introducing moral policing is unacceptable.
  • The Bill which is predominantly a cut paste from the Hindu family laws, does not remove inequalities in family across the spectrum of religious and secular laws, but criminalises the Muslim minority and autonomous, consensual behaviour of adults.
  • Demands that it is sent to the Standing Committee for further deliberations.
Continue reading Uttarakhand Women’s Groups’ Statement on the Uttarakhand UCC Draft Bill →
Debates, Democracy, Feminism, Politics, Sex

Demanding respectful and inclusive language for sex workers: Sex Workers and Allies South Asia (SWASA)

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Text of a petition initiated by SWASA, signed by 3640 sex workers and allies, sent to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Reem Alsalem on January 31, 2024. This is in response to a call for inputs towards the Special Rapporteur’s report on violence against women to be presented to the UN  Human Rights Council in June 2024.

Sex workers and allies at a rally demanding sex work be recognized as work under government labor rules, on the eve of International Labor Day, in Kolkata, April 30, 2022. AP Photo/Bikas Das. Image courtesy Human Rights Watch

We, the undersigned write to bring to your attention our concerns regarding the problematic terminology used in the call for inputs to the report of the Special Rapporteur (SR) on violence against women (VAW) and girls to the Human Rights Council.  The thematic report of the SR on VAW that will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council at its 56th session in June 2024 proposes to examine the nexus between the global phenomenon of prostitution and violence against women and girls.

The call for inputs states that the Special Rapporteur would like to receive inputs to better understand the relationship between prostitution and violence against women, to clarify terms, approaches and actions States should take in order to maintain the spirit of international human rights law and to effectively protect women and girls from all forms of violence. Continue reading Demanding respectful and inclusive language for sex workers: Sex Workers and Allies South Asia (SWASA) →

Culture, Feminism, Literature, Religion

Sita’s Voice in the Assamese Ramayana: Tilottoma Misra

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An excerpt from Sita’s Voice in the Assamese Ramayana: Selected Verses from the RAMAYANA of  Madhava Kandali and UTTARAKANDA by Sankaradeva, Translated, with Introduction and commentary  by TILOTTOMA MISRA (Zubaan: April 2024 Forthcoming) 

The figure of Rāma has seldom attracted the Assamese vaiṣnava devotees as much as that of Kṛṣṇa. Rāma has been considered as an incarnation of Viṣṇu, while Kṛṣṇa has been worshipped as Viṣṇu himself. Significantly, there is also no known religious sect in Assam which claims to be “exclusively Ramaite”. While there are many references to Kṛṣṇa in the copper-plate inscriptions found in Assam which date back to the early seventh century, there is hardly any mention of Rāma in the early literary records of the region. Biswanarayan Shastri has observed that while a large number of temples dedicated to Rāma or Māruti exist all over India, there is no evidence of the existence of such a temple with the images of Rāma or Maruti, intact or in ruins, in Assam. According to him even in the architecture of ancient Assam, there is no known evidence of the Rāma legend being represented anywhere.

The Rāmāyaṇa of Mādhava Kandalī, therefore, as well as the two kāṇḍas prefixed and appended to it by Mādhavadeva and Śaṅkaradeva, have never held “that exalted position in popular estimation which the Rāmacarita-mānasa of Tulsidas has been occupying for the last few centuries in north India.” Rāma and Sītā seldom attained the stature of divinity in the imagination of the Assamese people although the heroic and miraculous elements in the Rāmāyaṇa and ‘Rāma-kathā’ have continued to be a lively ingredient of folk-drama and musical performances of the ojā-pāli. It is understandable therefore that for the common people of this region the Assamese Rāmāyaṇa is hardly the religious text that the Bhāgavata-purāṇa is. Continue reading Sita’s Voice in the Assamese Ramayana: Tilottoma Misra →

Culture, Everyday Life, Feminism, Genders

Patriarchy and Misogyny in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’: Bebaak Collective

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This guest post was written by HASINA, with co-authorship contributions from Sanjhana and Mridul from Bebaak Collective, ‘Voices of the Fearless,’ a collective dedicated to addressing the citizenship rights of marginalized communities.

A thread of commonality that ties together Indian society – from familial space to the entertainment industry, from the personal sphere to the political sphere – is the oppression of gender minorities under patriarchy. The longstanding structures of patriarchy and misogyny subject women to various forms of violence and abuse within and outside the household. Such a harsh reality of society is reflected by the popular media and film industry very promptly. The new movies that are being directed and the new music that’s being produced are a great reflection of how we, as a society, have failed women and queer communities. The peppy lyrics that objectify and hyper-sexualise women’s bodies and the movies that glorify toxic masculinity do nothing but perpetuate and normalise gendered violence. As we step into the New Year, we must ask ourselves if we can leave these outdated notions behind and step into a society that fosters peace, equality, and love amongst all.

When we talk about violence, we cannot leave out the impact of mainstream popular media on the larger Indian society. Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s newest blockbuster- Animal, is a disturbing film laden with sexism, misogyny, and toxic masculinity. Continue reading Patriarchy and Misogyny in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’: Bebaak Collective →

Bad ideas, Culture, Feminism, Government, Law

Surviving the Suresh Gopis and their Gender-Insults

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At a media interaction on 26 October, the Malayali actor-turned-politician tried to turn his reel-life into real life. Once known mainly for his cine-avatar as the perpetually-angry, elite-justice hungry, thoroughly-misogynist ‘hero’ characters (yes, despite some better roles), Mr Gopi behaved with unbelievable condescension towards a woman journalist who asked him a question. Instead of answering her in a meaningful and civil manner, he turned into one of his obnoxious on-screen avatars. He put his hand on her shoulder and addressed her as ‘mole’ (daughter, literally, but also a condescending reference used by male lovers/husbands to refer to their loves/wives). She was clearly unhappy with the gesture, and backed away. Probably because the man has now become actually indistinguishable from the rotten, stinking masculinity he represents on-screen — knowingly or otherwise — he put his hand right back on her shoulder.

Continue reading Surviving the Suresh Gopis and their Gender-Insults →
Bad ideas, Centre watch, Feminism, Genders, Identities, Law

Same Sex Marriage, Welfarism and the Indian Supreme Court: Thoughts from Kerala

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When I read the Supreme Court Bench’s disappointing judgment on same-sex marriage, it was a line from Lalithambika Antharjanam’s autobiography that came to my mind. Remembering her youthful struggles against the barbaric oppression of women in the traditional Malayala brahmin caste, she wrote: “Never had my heart trembled so hard than when I placed my hand on that forbidding door”. She was referring to the terrifying, dehumanising, violent structure of restrictions under which Malayala brahmin women lived.  Over centuries, she says, innumerable women had battered it with their heads. Until one day it collapsed at a small push, soaked with their blood and tears.

Continue reading Same Sex Marriage, Welfarism and the Indian Supreme Court: Thoughts from Kerala →
Bad ideas, Culture, Feminism, Identities, Islamophobia, Left watch

The Body Politic of Family Loyalty :’Kerala ‘ at the IAWS Conference, Thiruvananthapuram

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An unlikely phantom seemed to hover over me as I hung around the Government Women’s College at Thiruvananthapuram where this year’s Annual Conference of Indian Association of Women’s Studies was on last week. ‘Unlikely’, because the conference is usually a platform in which this spectre is thoroughly examined, counted, listened upon, critiqued, reimagined etc etc — and therefore one would imagine that it would not dare to tread in in such spaces.

Continue reading The Body Politic of Family Loyalty :’Kerala ‘ at the IAWS Conference, Thiruvananthapuram →
Bad ideas, Debates, Feminism, Islamophobia, Left watch

An Open Letter from a Dissident Feminist to the Delegates at the IAWS Conference 2023 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

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Dear friends and colleagues

I write this letter to you as a dissident feminist who leads a beleagured life under what can only be described in George Orwell’s words from 1984: the majoritarian post-socialist oligarchy that presently rules Kerala.

Continue reading An Open Letter from a Dissident Feminist to the Delegates at the IAWS Conference 2023 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala →
Culture, Debates, Democracy, Feminism, Genders, Government, Identities, Law, Politics, Religion

Response to Law Commission of India on UCC: Feminist Working Group on Law Commission Submission on the UCC

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In response to the LCI ‘s invitation to “stakeholders, including public and recognised religious organisations” to share their views on the Uniform Civil Code, some feminist groups and individuals came together in Delhi on July 4-5 2023 to draft a considered response. The UCC has been debated in feminist circles for decades, and a broad consensus has gradually emerged since the 1990s that gender justice and not uniformity should be the focus of reforms of laws pertaining to family, whether governed by Personal Laws (religious communities) or customary laws (Scheduled Tribes). The following response emerged on the basis of these discussions, which in turn drew on the long history of serious engagement with the issue in feminist circles for decades.

To,

The Hon’ble Chairperson and members,

Law Commission of India

14 July 2023

Sub: Response of feminist, queer and women’s rights groups and individual feminists to Public Notice of the Law Commission of India dated 14/06/2023, soliciting views on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Respected Chairperson and members of the Law Commission of India,

We, the undersigned, write to you as representatives of feminist, queer and women’s rights groups, as well as concerned citizens, who have been working on issues related to gender justice and equality for women from diverse communities across the country. We draw upon our collective experience over many decades, as we respond to the current discussion on the proposed Uniform Civil Code.

Our submission is in three parts:

  1. Concerns related to the procedure adopted to initiate these discussions by the Law Commission of India (LCI).
  2. Comments on substantive issues of uniformity, equality and non-discrimination vis à vis gender justice.
  3. Governing principles for any efforts towards gender justice for all

Continue reading Response to Law Commission of India on UCC: Feminist Working Group on Law Commission Submission on the UCC →

Democracy, Feminism, Government, Politics, Right watch

Dismantle the structures of sexual violence, NOT the protesters’ tent! Statement by concerned citizens

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On the day that the Prime Minister was inaugurating a new Parliament house, democratic space was being crushed outside.

More than 1150 people including activists, lawyers, academics, former civil servants, artists and concerned citizens have released a statement condemning the brutal police action against the protesting wrestlers and those who had come out in support of their call from all over Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for a Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat today.

We, concerned individuals, are absolutely horrified to see the violence unleashed by the government and police today, to suppress the powerful grassroots support for our brave wrestlers and their struggle against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who stands accused of sexual harassment of women wrestlers stretching back over a decade. The wrestlers have been protesting since 18th of January, 2023. They had given a call to all women’s organisations, activists and all other civil society organisations to join a Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat outside the new parliament building today, i.e 28 May 2023.

Thousands of women from Delhi and nearby states responded to the call.  Fearing the  collective strength of Indian women – the police pre-emptively blocked all border roads, shut down proximal metro stations, and cordoned off roads. This is how scared a patriarchal State is of the sight of the women of India standing shoulder to shoulder with each other. Despite this crackdown, the government was unable to block the flow of solidarity; activists and concerned citizens found ways of trying to reach the protest site. Continue reading Dismantle the structures of sexual violence, NOT the protesters’ tent! Statement by concerned citizens →