Ithi organises the protest in Madivala
A group of IT professionals on Sunday took to the streets to raise their voice against moral policing, unfair treatment to women in society and the larger issue of gender inequality.
A Bangalore-based welfare and support forum for women in IT and ITeS industry, Ithi, organised a protest in Madivala, an area where IT professionals live in large numbers. Forum members spoke about larger issues that affect women, including domestic violence, sexual offences and female foeticide.
The forum submitted a memorandum to the Karnataka State Women’s Commission.
Deepthi R., an IT worker at multinational company here, spoke about how even on the streets of Bangalore women feel insecure. “It is difficult for women to come out and live freely if such an atmosphere of fear is created. For society to progress, it is important that women be made to feel secure,” she said.
For this, she added, women must come out on the streets and demand their right to a safe environment, whether it is in the workplace or at home.
On issues IT women workers face, Bharathi P. said that in many offices companies close shifts for women at 6 p.m. as they do not want to take the responsibility. “This means that when we sit for some overtime work we are left to ourselves to find our way back,” she said.
Sudha S., another employee, said that the government must pay attention to Mangalore where many such issues are tarnishing the secular credentials of the region.
Joining cause with the women, Suresh Kodoor, an IT employee, said that the use of the word moral policing provides undue legitimacy to hooliganism. “The government should take a firm action against this,” he said.
Other gender
Members of Samara, a community organisation of sexual minorities and sex workers, later joined the protest rally. “Just like women we too face several crimes. We face ‘violence’ from police, goondas, and even from our families,” alleged Madhu, a member of Samara.
Keywords: women IT professionals, Ithi, safety for women, gender inequality
It appears that Indian Police have found a soft target to vent there frustrations. They are cowards when it comes to dealing with goondas and influential and powerful indians. Why not go and arrest these murders,rapists, politicians and clean the streets of indian of these scum, instead of attacing women and aged people
The Indian Police are the biggest cowards on earth
Please organize campaigns like this in large scale, and make your voice heard. You are doing a lot of service to the country by earning, paying taxes, and creating a powerful middle class. This country owes you for that. And creating a free and fair living atmosphere is the least it should do.
Good Move!!! At last IT people are coming on streets and showing they are human being and not timid to deal with the biting world (agents/autowallahs/moral policing/builders and many more unions).
There is huge workforce of IT and they should be a part of this country change (for good).
I grew up in Bangalore and I am disgusted at the level of intolerance which now pervades the city. What a lady wears is her own business and the moral police has no business enforcing their view of morality on others.
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