Exactly a year ago, a 23-year old paramedical student was brutally gang-raped by six men in a moving bus in New Delhi. The incident shook the conscience of the entire nation and evoked agitation across the country that made the government to involve and introduce ‘Nirbhaya Act’.
However, the most disturbing fact is that even after the death of the victim after struggling for almost 13 days, there is no reduction in the atrocities against women. The perpetrators not sparing even a five-year-old only indicates that societal values have fallen.
The security of women has become a matter of serious concern which needs to be re-looked, these were a few points discussed by the speakers at the day-long citizen’s convention to oppose violence against women organised by Akhila Bharatha Mahila Samskritika Sangham (AIMSS) in association with All India Democratic Youth Organisation and All India Democratic Students Organisation.
On Monday morning, the hall at Visakhapatnam Public Library was packed with students from Visakha Government Degree College for Women and B.V.K. College, among other colleges as the speakers spoke on safety and security of women.
“Unless our approach towards women changes, it is difficult to bring about a change in society. It is a constant battle for a woman to stand up and fight for her acceptance as an individual on par with the opposite gender and earn respect and dignity in almost every sphere of life,” city convener M. Tejovathi said. She condemned the media for glorifying the acts of violence against women by repeatedly telecasting the incidence of rape, abuse and sexual assault.
President of Praja Spandana C.S. Rao spoke on how teamwork plays a role in placing a check against violence. He said: “When government, police, women groups, media and other departments coordinate with each other, we can exert better control over the incidence of violence. In an emerging society like ours, change can only happen through constant advocacy of gender sensitisation. Learning self-defence techniques, keeping some important contact numbers handy and invention of a device to indicate the whereabouts to the police department will go a long way in terms of making the world a better place to live for women.”
“Education per se is not making any sense and as such has become a mere business these days. Portrayal of women in cinema, unsupervised easy access to the internet, lack of ethical values and absence of mutual respect between the genders are some of the factors that have contributed to degradation of woman,” State president of AIMSS G. Lalitha asserted.
The convention also saw students staging folk dance depicting the theme. Among other invitees, convener of AIMSS, Srikakulam A Vijaya, advocate N.V.R. Vijayalakshmi, G. Suresh Kumar of AIDYO and pediatrician M.T. Venkateswarlu participated.
